Angel Amongst Demons
by TheVillain17
Summary: Two Dixon brothers and their younger sister. Sure, they were made for this new world but they never knew they needed other people besides themselves. ***Rated M for language and upcoming violence***
1. Show 'N Tails

"You gotta be fuckin' kiddin' me." Merle shouted as he slammed the door of his beat up truck. Daryl climbed out the passengers side and shook his head. "He said she's here."

"Fuck." Merle muttered, rubbing the top of his head furiously and started towards the run down building with the words 'Show 'N Tails' flashing in neon lights. Daryl followed close behind his brother.

Pushing through the door the Dixon brothers were hit with the smell of alcohol and tobacco. It was dark but the small spotlights that were on allowed them to see that the room was packed with men, all facing the stage that was fully lit up. The speakers  
were blasting out 'Pour Some Sugar On Me' and all the men's voices were mixing together into one loud roar.

"Merle! My man! Ain't seen you round here in a while!" A stout man walked towards the brothers, his arms outstretched and a smile on his face. Merle did not return the welcome, his face was set in a grimace and his fists were clenched by his side. Daryl  
stood behind him, his head bowed and chewing on his lip as he nervously watched his brother.

"Don't gimme that bull Joe!" Merle raised his voice to be heard over the pounding music. "How comes you never told me my sister worked here you son 'a bitch?!" As Merle took a threatening step forward Joe took one back, his expression changing instantly  
to confusion and fear. His welcoming gesture turned into one of surrender as he held his hands in front of him, palms facing towards Merle.

"I don't know what you're talking about man!" He pleaded. "I'mma kick yer ass so hard you'll have to clear yer throat to fart Joe. Our old man says our sisters been workin' here for months and ya didn't think to tell your old pal Merle?" His voice had  
dropped into a far more sinister tone as he continued to advance closer to the portly man. Joe tried to back up further but bumped into the counter of the bar behind him.

Joe was beginning to sweat. "I didn't even know you had a sister! Just...just...give me her name and we'll sort this out." He pleaded but all it did was rile Merle up further, grabbing the front of Joes shirt and pulling his face closer to his own. Daryl  
decided to break the tension and come between the two men. "Name's Angel." He shouted as the crowd of men let out a louder roar and started pounding on the tables.

What remaining color Joe had in his face drained away. "A...A...Angel? Fuck man I didn't know..." He trailed off and shakily pointed one of his stubby fingers at the stage. The Dixon brothers turned to look and could just see the back of the woman entertainers  
head, her light brown hair bobbing up and down. The rest of her was obscured by the sea of men.

Merle released the man, who quickly scuttled away from the two brothers. Daryl and Merle made their way to the side of the stage where there was less of a crowd. They could see more of the woman now but they still couldn't make out her face, her hair,  
a mass of light brown curls, was thrown over her facial features as she supported herself against a pole, pointing her ass towards the crowd of men and shaking it provocatively to the beat of the music.

She was wearing a black bra with pink trim, a tiny imitation of a school girl skirt with a black g-string on underneath. And the men were lapping it up, pounding on the tables, throwing money onto the stage, wolf whistling and shouting lewd comments at  
her.

The two brothers didn't need to see the dancers face to know it was their sister. Covering the majority of her back was the black tattooed details of a set of angel wings. "Fuck!" Merle shouted again, slamming his palm down on the stage infront of him.

The girl threw her head back, sending her mass of curls off of her face and cascading down her back. She sank down low against the pole and turned herself to face the customers. They began throwing more money at her as she got down on all fours and began  
crawling towards them. Just out of reach of the men she sat back on her knees and threw her head back, running her hands all over her body and making the men shout louder.

As Angel tilted her head to the right she felt her heart beat slow and a cold feeling come over her. Her eyes locked with two sets of pale blue orbs, identical to her own. "Shit." She had completely lost control of her body and was frozen like a deer  
in headlights, unsure of what to do.

"Angel Dixon you get down here now!" Merle shouted at her. Veins were visible on his temples as he tried to contain his anger. The crowd started to become rowdy with their lack of entertainment and a large bouncer, noticing who was causing the problem,  
came towards Merle. Before the bouncer could say anything Merle landed a punch under his chin and he fell to the floor.

It was like that one action caused a sea of chaos. The cluster of men started to shout, overturn tables, throw punches and climb onto the stage. Angel was still stuck in shock, now watching as everything erupted around her. A man wearing a suit had got  
himself on the stage and heading straight towards her. Before she could act she felt a muscular arm wind around her waist and lift her up off the floor and out of the mans reach. "Hold tight Ang." Daryls voice spoke into her ear and she felt herself  
relax slightly with the trust she felt for her brother. He scooped her legs up and carried her and she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Merle, com'on man!" Daryl hollered over his shoulder as he kicked one of the men out of his way and jumped off the stage, ignoring the distraction around him and heading straight for the door. He kicked it open and headed out into the sunlight.

As Angels eyes adjusted to the natural day light and the thumping music was replaced by distant sounds of car alarm and voices, Daryl gently let her legs slide to the ground. He was about to head back into the club but Merle burst through the door.  
There was blood trickling down from a cut above his right eye and his lip looked swollen but he wore a smile of victory. That was, until his eyes flickered back to his sister. A seriousness came over Merle and he stomped towards her.

"Hell you playing at Ang?! Workin' in a dive where men play pocket pinball under the table while watchin' ya?!" Angel span around to meet her eldest brothers eyes. "Good enough for you to come to though, ain't it Merle?! The other girls tell me you've  
been comin' here for years and blowin' money on girls and booze!" "That ain't the same and you know it!" Merle replied.

While they argued Daryl unbuttoned the flannel shirt he was wearing, exposing a wife beater beneath. Once the shirt was undone he shook it off and gently placed it over his sisters shoulders, trying to cover her exposed skin as much as possible. Once  
again he was reminded of how small she was in comparison to him and Merle. Angel was born too early, the doctors said, that was why she had been so tiny as a baby. Even as she grew up she was always just that little bit smaller in height and weight  
than the other girls her age.

The shirt sat on her shoulders and almost came down to her knees. Still arguing, she thrust her arms through the sleeves of the flannel but didn't bother to button the front.

Merle took a breathe and bit back some of the anger that was inside himself "I thought you were still workin' in that pharmacy, tryin' ta make a career for yourself?"

"I worked there so I could get you ya fix of prescription pills whenever you wanted!" She pointed her index fingers into his chest. "Once ya left and I realized you weren't comin' back I had to chuck that job in. Neither one of you were livin' at home  
anymore, I needed more money to buy food, keep a roof over mine and Pops head and keep him off my back. This" she gestured at the neon lights of the strip club, "was the easiest way to make the kinda money we needed. Plus some extra put away so I  
could get my ass out of that hell hole, just like you did!" She finished and realized she was out of breathe, pent up rage and words she'd wanted to say for months finally coming out into the open.

Merle was taken back by the outburst. It was true, he hadn't been around in a long time. He always meant to but he'd always end up somewhere else; at a bar, a friends house doing drugs or stuck in the local jail.

"Com'on, we gotta go" Daryl interrupted, stepping between the two of them but keeping his eyes on his brother. "My stuffs in there." Angel muttered and started to make a move back towards the club. Merle stepped infront of her and blocked the way. "Oh  
no baby girl. Whatever's in there you can leave it. We'll head home, pack up ya things and head towards Atlanta."

Her head snapped up to look at her eldest brother, but before she could argue she thought she heard far off sounds of gun shots and peoples voices shouting. She realized that the chorus of car alarms still hadn't stopped.

"Worlds gone to shit Ang," Daryl took her arm in his hand and adjusted her so she was looking more at him. "People killing people, eatin' people. The streets are overrun. We gotta go and we gotta go now." He tugged at her sleeve one more time and budged  
her towards Merle's truck.

She looked up at Daryl. His face was soft but serious. "Them men came in sayin' the world was ending. They were throwing their money around like there really would be no tomorrow. You tellin' me all that shit on the news is real?" She asked, feeling so  
unsure of what to do in this moment. She noticed a woman over Daryls shoulder running through the parking lot. The woman's summer dress was ripped and splattered with blood from a large gash on her arm. The sound of glass breaking echoed in the distance.

Angel pulled the flannel shirt around herself. Merle placed his hand at the base of her spine and guided her towards the truck, Angels eyes never looking away from the distressed woman. Merle opened up the drivers side door and stepped aside so Angel  
could hop in. Daryl climbed in the other side, Angel wedged between her two brothers.

Merle started up the truck and weaved out of the parking space, pulling out onto the main road. On either side of the streets shop front windows had been smashed in, the store alarms were blaring. People were scrambling in and out carrying whatever they  
could get their hands on. As the three Dixons got closer to the outskirts of the city they saw less pillaging and more fighting. Some people throwing punches, some running away from others. So much blood...

"You good?" Daryl asked, grabbing the back of Angels neck and giving a gentle squeeze. She managed to draw her eyes away from a man bent over a woman's body and met Daryls concerned gaze. She mustered up a small smile to try and reassure her brother.

Now outside of town they drove down streets where the houses were more rundown. Merle looked over at his younger siblings. "We go in, collect ya stuff and leave." "What about Pops?" Angel asked. As much as she hated the old man for everything he had put  
them through she couldn't imagine all four of them going on a family trip together. "Fuck 'im. He ain't been there for us before why should we be there for him now?" Merle was quick to respond.

"He's still our dad. We can't just,MERLE LOOK OUT!" Angel had looked away form her brother to see a woman standing in the middle of the street. Her eldest brother responded to her shouts, snapping his eyes back on the road and slamming on the brakes.  
Both Daryl and Angel gripped the dashboard but the beat up trucks brakes didn't stop them in time. They hit the woman with a loud THUNK and she disappeared under the car.

They finally came to a halt and all three of them were frozen in place. Angel was still gripping the dashboard and just as she was about to speak a hand slammed down on the hood of the truck. A small squeak escaped the youngest Dixon as the woman they  
had just run down pulled herself back up. The accident didn't seem to have caused her any damage, the real damage was caused a while ago.

Her eyes were hollow, her jaw hanging at an odd angle. There was dried blood all over her clothing. The woman was now standing back up as if they truck had never hit her, and she limped her way over the the driver side window.

"Go,go,go,go,GO!" Angel repeated, with each word she gave a small slap on Merles arm. His eyes were still on the woman but he started up the car and floored the gas peddle. They lurched off and out of the woman's grasp.

The rest of the journey was in silence. Angel was still trying to process what had happened. The vehicle began to slow and Merle swung it around into driveway. Stopping the truck, Merle and Daryl climbed out. Angel was about to slide out as well when  
Merle slammed the door. "Ya stay here Ang'. We'll get ya stuff and be right back." Before she could protest Merle locked the trucks doors, leaving an angry Angel hammering on the window and spitting obscenities at him.

Her brothers disappeared inside and Angel sat back, slamming her feet on the dashboard in front of her, arms crossed over her chest. She could hear noises from the house but tried to ignore them. She leant her head back on the headrest and stared at the  
roof.

The voices began to get clearer. Angel drew her eyes back to the house and saw Daryl had her old backpack slung over one shoulder and his hunting crossbow over the other. Walking round the back, he threw both items in to the bed of the truck beside Merles  
motorbike and waited at the passenger side door. Merle and their dad were the ones raising their voices in the entrance of the house.

Will Dixon had a bottle of beer in one had a cigarette in the other. He was always arguing with his two sons, sometimes resulting in actual fights. For Angel he never just used words and fists. He was a twisted man and had made her life hell for the past  
25 years.

Angel could hear they were fighting about her. The argument ended when Merle knocked the beer bottle out of their dads hand and it smashed to the floor. Merle moved quickly towards his siblings and unlocked the doors, letting Daryl climb in beside her.

Merle hovered at the drivers side. "You deserve everything you get old man!" He shouted before sliding into the drivers seat and slamming the door. Will Dixon just stood in the doorway watching his three children reversing out the driveway. Angel gave  
a middle finger salute to him through the window just before Merle drove down the street and towards Atlanta.


	2. The Pack

Merle pulled from his shirt pocket a pack of smokes and offered them out to his two siblings, keeping his other hand on the steering wheel. Angel took out two crumpled cigarettes and offered one up to her other brother. Daryl in turn got out his lighter from his back pocket and lit his and Angels cigarettes.

"Did you pack any food?" She asked, realising she hadn't had anything to eat since before her shift at the strip club. Merle shook his head. "But don't you worry baby girl. Thought we'd make a stop somewhere and fill up." "What, you loaded now?" She asked, flicking the ash from he cigarette onto the floor of the truck.

Merle snorted and waved his free hand in front of her. "All we need is this." "Really? We're gonna go rob a place?" Angel asked indignantly. "You saw how it was Cub. Ain't no rules no more." Daryl chimed in.

This wouldn't be the first time the three of them had gone out stealing. When they were kids they always stuck together, one distracting the shop clerk while the other two filled their pockets. They'd loiter on the corner of streets and shout obscenities as people walked by, sometimes throwing things at passing cars. Their dad never cared enough to watch them, so they took care of each other. People in their neighbourhood knew the Dixon children. They used to say they were like a group of feral dogs roaming the streets. But they preferred to think of themselves as a pack of wolves, and with Angel being the youngest and the smallest she'd ended up being nicknamed 'Cub' by her brothers. Even after they had grown up and her brothers had moved away the nickname still stuck.

The truck swung in front a large convenience store. Slamming to a stop the three of them surveyed the debris of shattered glass and random items that had been forgotten about. They could make out the shapes and shadows of people inside. Daryl got out of the passenger side door and as Merle leant forward to climb out of his side Angel spotted a gun tucked in the waistband of his pants.

"I'm comin' in this time." She demanded, stopping her eldest brother from the slamming the car door by propping it open with her exposed leg. "You put your pants on and I'll think 'bout it." Merle chuckled. Daryl had already thought of this and had rummaged through the bag he had packed for Angel. He came round the front and handed her a pair of denim shorts, which she snatched from his hand and wiggled herself into.

"Ya happy now?" She asked the pair of them. She stood bare foot on the hot Tarmac of the parking lot. Her denim shorts barely covered her ass but it was better than the G-string she had been sporting. She still wore Daryls flannel shirt unbuttoned to reveal her black and pink bra. Both Daryl and Merle still looked her over disapprovingly, they felt real concern about how much skin she was showing considering they were about to enter a building they knew had strange people inside.

"Lemme get ya a top." Daryl said, but before he could go back to the van and look through her backpack Angel snapped at him. "I don't want a goddamn top I want food. Now!" She threw the end of her cigarette onto the floor and marched towards the convenience store, her two brothers following close behind her.

Angel stepped around the chunks of glass and stopped at the entrance of the store. The lights were broken and dangling from the ceiling. The cash register had been thrown to the floor and was now completely empty. Merle moved past her and walked further into the store, his eyes flickering between the remaining goods on the shelves and the few people that were in the shop. Daryl stayed behind his sister, checking to see if there were any people loitering around outside.

Merle let out a shrill whistle and knocked a tin of something onto the floor, causing the unsuspecting strangers to jump and spin to look at the company they had. "Well, well, looks like you fine people got some good pickin's. Why not share the wealth there?" The three people had their arms loaded with food. It looked like they were related, and they were huddling together in intimidation.

Angel stepped into the store, her arms crossed over her chest, completely ignoring her older brother taunting the terrified people. She grabbed the last remaining bottles of water and moved over to what was once an aisle of candy. Daryl was now next to his brother, keeping an eye on both of his siblings.

"Please, we're just trying to survive. This is the only food we have." One of the people spoke up. "Merle would ya stop interferin' with somethin' that ain't botherin' you none." Angel sighed. Her eldest brother just laughed. "Don't get yer knickers in a bunch there Ang'. These fine folks and I are just talking." She rolled her eyes and started stuffing candy bars into her shorts pockets.

Daryl walked around the cashiers counter and started raiding the cigarette cabinet. Merle approached the family with his arms raised and palms exposed, trying to give an impression that he was harmless, but his face was menacing. "Now, you drop some of them canned goods and be on your merry way and ol' Merle here will forget we even met. How's that sounds to ya?" He dropped one of his arms and pushed aside his shirt, giving the strangers a flash of the gun he was carrying.

The older man of the group slowly knelt down and placed all the food he had onto the ground. With his hands now free he raised them in surrender and stood back up. Merle nodded his head but he looked like he still wasn't finished with them.

"Ya best get to gettin' then." Daryl hollered from the other side of the shop. He knew how hot headed his brother was and he really didn't want any trouble breaking out. He was offering this family a quick escape and they scuttled away from Merle and out the store. Angel gave a small chuckle as she watched them scurry away.

"Never did know how to have a good time, did ya baby brother?" Merle asked, shooting daggers at Daryl for breaking up his fun. "Come get these would ya?" Merle pointed down at the cans and while Daryl came and collected them, Merle moved to the far back of the store where there was a small pharmacy. There used to be a shutter here to keep people from getting into the pharmacy out of hours but it was torn down.

Daryl walked past his sister with his arms laden with food and she placed the bottles of water on top. He exited the store and dumped everything in the truck. Angel had opened up a candy bar and was busy snacking on it, still perusing the remaining food items.

"Ang', come here a sec." Merle shouted from the back. When she noticed that her brother was leaning against the counter of the pharmacy she sighed and padded over to him. "Mind getting yer brother some of those good drugs ya used to nab for me. The ones that make ya feel like yer floatin' on a sea of fat ladies titties." He chuckled to himself, making a lewd gesture with his hands. Angel rolled her eyes, the candy bar hanging out of her mouth while she surveyed the shelves of medication. She stopped a little way into the dispensary, reached up into the shelf, grabbed a blue box of Tramadol and tossed it over to Merle.

She removed the chocolate bar from her mouth and walked back into the shop. Merle followed behind throwing the box up and down. "Now how 'bout gettin' something useful?" She asked him, grabbing another chocolate bar.

"Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker." Merle joked and made his way to an aisle with bottles of alcohol.

Daryl was back in the entrance of the store "Man you almost done?! We're losin' light!" Angel went over to him and Daryl draped his arm over her shoulder. He looked down at her, her head only coming up to his shoulder. He gave her a quick smile and then rested his chin against the top of her head.

Merle had his hands and arms full with cans of beer. "I'm happier than a pig in shit right now." Merle laughed. Angel gave him half a grin."Stop." She said and the three of them headed back to the truck, Daryl still had his arm over her shoulders and he pulled her into his side and gave her a squeeze.


	3. Atlanta Falls

**I just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone following, favoriting and writing reviews for this story. You have no idea how happy it makes me to see people enjoying this crazy idea I've had in my head.**

 **Word of warning, this chapter has a large block of flashback in it for character development reasons. If you don't enjoy that kind of thing you can skip over it if you want, it's the part that's in italics.**

 **Once again, thank you for all reading Angel Amongst Demons, and I hope you continue to enjoy it.**

The three Dixons were now part of a sea of vehicles in standstill traffic trying to enter Atlanta. Merle had given up beating on the horn but others around them still hadn't realized it was pointless. Some people were pacing up and down the rows of cars, fights were breaking out, some people were crumpled and crying on the floor.

A few cars over a group had formed around an old RV. They didn't look like a group of people you would see hanging around together normally. Merle was distracted by two blonde women that were talking amongst themselves, Angel kept looking over at a muscular man with a square jaw and a shotgun he had leaning against a police car. Daryl was busy chewing on his thumb, staring blankly out the window.

Angel looked out the front of the window. She kicked her bare feet up onto the dashboard and wriggled down in her seat. She folded her arms across her chest and hugged her slender frame, pulling Daryl's shirt around her she dipped her chin down toward her chest and felt comforted by the familiar smell of her brother "Wake me up when we start movin' will ya?" Her voice was muffled.

"I'm gonna hit the bushes." Merle mumbled. "You comin'?" He asked Daryl over their sleepy sisters head. He shook his head. "Nah I'll stay here. Keep an eye on Ang." Angel snorted. "Where were ya when I needed you back home?" A rough hand cupped her chin and lifted her head up until her eyes met with Daryls. He looked deep into her face and she knew he was angry with himself. "I couldn't be there all the time Cub. And I'm sorry 'bout that. I was an asshole for leaving ya with him, I came back whenever I could." He tried to explain. She couldn't be mad at him. She knew if Daryl had continued living at home he would have ended up killing their old man. And she didn't want another brother rotting away in jail.

"I know Dar'. I know." Angel smiled up at him and basked in the uncomplicated pure love and faith she had for her brother. Moments like these were few and far between for the siblings. They'd had it drummed into them from a young age that emotions were a weakness, and you certainly never cried. Merle couldn't take the emotional moment anymore. "Grow some balls the pair o' ya." He muttered, though deep down he didn't mean it. He loved and cared for his brother and sister more than anyone else in the world. He would do anything for them and, though he would never admit it, he was consumed with the regret he felt for leaving both his siblings with their father. He always meant to get money and get them out of there, but something always got in his way.

Merle climbed out the truck and headed towards the woods at the side of the road. He needed to clear his head of the bad memories of his father.

Angel snuggled back down in her spot to try and get some sleep. Daryl rested his arm across the back of the seat and gently pushed her brown head towards him so she was resting against his shoulder. He took comfort in feeling her beside him and knowing she was safe.

 _Will Dixon hated her the moment she was born. It was supposed to be a happy time for the family, welcoming a girl to the family. But as the baby arrived, their mother departed. Merle and Daryl had sat in the waiting room while their father paced the hospital hallway. For months before this moment, mom and dad had explained how big brothers have to take special care of sisters. They couldn't punch and pinch her like they did with each other. They needed to be gentle, look out for her. And the biggest responsibility of a big brother was to protect her, no matter what._

 _The doctors had taken their dad to one side, out of ear shot of his sons. They explained the complications and expressed their condolences for the loss of his wife. Will didn't even ask about his daughter. He turned from the doctor and his children, and left the hospital. The boys were taken to a quiet room where a nurse with a pleasant, sympathetic face told them about their mom going to heaven. But she had left them their baby sister in her place._

 _They were taken to a room full of other new born babies. Their sister was the smallest one there. When they boys were older and could understand more they found out that due to their mothers smoking habits and poor health issues, Angel had been born premature._

 _From the moment they met her, Merle and Daryl practically raised her. They gave her the name Angel "'Cos momma went to heaven but left us this Angel." The young Merle had explained to one of the nurses. They bathed her, fed her, and did all they could while their old man turned to finding comfort in the bottle. Daryl was going into this whole situation blind, but thankfully Merle had had some experience when he would watch their mother dealing with Daryl as a baby. Once Daryl had the hang of it he took more responsibility for caring for her, while Merle would try and scrounge some money from somewhere, or just go out and steal baby formula and diapers._

 _As she grew older she became more and more interesting to Will Dixon. He would get her to cook him meals, with no guidance as to how to cook, and make her clean the house. While her brothers were out learning to hunt she was learning how to make meals for her family. Sometimes, when their dad had passed out in his room, she would watch a cooking channel just to get some guidance. She didn't want to do it. She wanted to be out with her brothers, enjoying the fresh air and learning everything they knew._

 _All three Dixon children shared a room. They had two mattresses squeezed together. Going to bed was Angels favorite part of the day. She felt safe in the room with her brothers. Even when her sleep would be broken when their old man came home from a bar late at night, Merle was always the one to get up to take care of him. He had no idea both his siblings were awake and could hear them fighting downstairs. Daryl would often throw his arm over her, not just to make her feel safe but so he could feel that she was still there. Once the fighting had subsided Merle would usually crawl back to bed, a brand new cut or mark on him._

 _At school she was usually too tired to focus on her classes, and often she would just skip it altogether. She had nothing in common with the other girls in school, she tended to enjoy the company of her older brothers friends._

 _As all three of them grew older the fights at home got worse. Almost every night Merle and their dad would throw punches. It became too much for their eldest brother, who broke the news to his siblings that he had to get out._

 _With Merle gone, Daryl took more of the beatings. But Daryl was never as strong as Merle was, which meant their father had enough energy to serve a beating to Angel as well. Daryl would try so hard to protect her, shoving her in the bathroom and getting her to lock the door, or making her run out to the field until the noises stopped._

 _What Angel never told either of her brothers was that, with Merle gone and Daryl at school or working at a part time job their father knew he could do whatever he wanted to her. She almost expected him to beat her whenever he got the chance. But what he did was worse, much worse._

 _She was just a teenager the first time it happened and had no idea what he was doing. He slammed her against the kitchen wall, taking her completely by surprise and winding her. Just when she thought she'd feel a flurry of fists she felt his hands all over her and her clothes were ripped away. He would rape her almost every time the brothers weren't around. She learnt quickly that she was too tiny to defend herself and crying just made him angrier. She learnt to suffer through it in silence until he was done. Afterwards Will Dixon would threaten that if she told either of her brothers about this he would not hesitate to kill them. So she kept quiet, to protect her brothers but also because she was ashamed._

 _When Daryl moved out as well, Angel didn't know how she would get through everyday. Sometimes she considered running away, sometimes she thought about a bottle of pills. But Daryl visited more regularly than Merle ever did or could. She held on to those moments. For her eighteenth birthday Merle and Daryl had taken her to a tattoo parlor and she had spent four hours in the chair getting her wings. Her brothers also got tattoos, much smaller ones than her own, Daryl went for an angel and demon on his back, while Merle got their mothers name on the top of his arm._

 _She had a succession of jobs to try and bring some money into the household to cover the food and bills. It was also a relief to not be under the same roof as her dad for a while. Merle had found her a job at a local pharmacy and she made some extra money through stealing prescribed medication so Merle could sell it on, though eventually she was stealing it more for his own recreational use. At the pharmacy she had a chance of a career, she studied hard and passed exams to become a fully trained dispenser. Her brothers had been so proud of her, the first Dixon to be heading into a proper career._

 _It all changed when Merle went to jail for armed robbery. No longer getting the extra money from selling drugs, Angel knew she couldn't support their house, her fathers drinking habit and herself. She'd ditched the pharmacy and walked straight into a job at the strip club. The money she made each day was better than any career path she could have chosen. She had regulars who would drop a fortune on her. It wasn't the life she had wanted, but it was the best a Dixon could do._

 _Though neither one of the brothers ever spoke about it, from the moment Angel was born they both swore to do right by their little sister, no matter what. They would always regret that she had had to shoulder some of the beatings from their father, but she never let them know what else he had been capable of. To the two men they felt they had taken care of her, the best they could._

Angel stirred from her slumber when she felt Daryl move underneath her. "Merle would ya leave it alone?!" He shouted over his sisters head and out the open drivers side window. Angel abruptly sat up, now completely awake. She rubbed her face and let her eyes adjust to the darkness. From her left she could hear her eldest brothers voice mixed in with some others. Turning to get a better look, Angel could see what Daryl had been yelling about.

Merle was in amongst the group they had been observing earlier. One of the blonde women seemed to be getting some grief from a couple of men that hadn't been there before. Merle was standing inbetween the blonde and the men, keeping them separated. Angel couldn't make out what was exactly being said but she could tell her brother was gunning for a fight.

One of the men took a threatening step forward and in an instant Merle threw his head forward, connecting with the mans foreheads, and knocking him to the ground. The other man was immediately on Merle, landing a punch. The car door creaked open and Angel looked to her right to see Daryl making a speedy exit. He slammed the door behind him and ran over to help his brother, grabbing the shirt of the man who was hitting Merle, and throwing him back against a car, giving him a punch to the gut.

Angel couldn't help but roll her eyes and let out a little sigh as she watched her brothers once again embroiled in a fight. Further back from the scene the group were still standing outside of the RV. Some looked at her brothers in disgust, some in admiration. There were a few children, some of them wanting to watch the fight, but their mothers ushered them away to a different car and out of sight.

The man she had been watching earlier reached into the cop car and pulled out a pair of handcuffs. He started stalking towards the brawling men.

"Fucks sake." She grumbled to herself in annoyance. Scooting over into the drivers seat, Angel knelt up and stuck the top half of her body out of the open window. "Pair of you get your lily white redneck asses back here now!" She hollered at them. That certainly got the attention of the officer and some of the people by the RV, even Daryl looked over but Merle just kept on.

She was just about to get out of the truck when the sound of helicopters echoed above them. They were headed straight into Atlanta, and everyone, including Merle, watched in shock and horror as the whole of the city lit up on fire. The whole road became of frenzy of movement. People running into their cars, some just running off into the woods. Cars were backed up and turned around.

Angels mouth hung open, completely frozen hanging out of the window. Daryl appeared infront of her, taking her chin in his hand and directing her eyes to him. "You good?" He was out of breathe and had a small cut on his cheekbone. She nodded and Daryl released her chin and ran around to the passenger side of the car, climbing in.

Merle reappeared after a while. He indicated for Angel to move back into the car, and she she ducked in and sat back between her two brothers. Merle had a few more cuts than Daryl but he didn't seem phased by the altercation he had been involved in. He started the truck up and began to turn it around.

"Them people," he indicated with a thumb towards the reversing RV, "talking bout headin' up to the quarry and settin' up camp." "And you think we'll be welcome?" Angel asked. "We saved that pretty blonde girl from them thugs. Think they owe us a favor." Chuckled Merle.

They were now part of a convoy, the RV leading the way up a dirt path that wound into the hills.

"I wish the pair of ya would stop gettin' involved in other peoples fights." Angel mumbled, trying to conceal the depth of concern she had for her brothers. Daryl, as always, noticed and rubbed his thumb on the back of her head as way of reassurance that they were alright.

Merle scoffed and patted her bare knee with his right hand. "Spit in one hand and wish in the other, see which fills up quicker."


	4. Thrown Together

The camp they had set up at the quarry was spacious and had a perfect vantage point to overlook the dirt track that led up to it. They had parked their cars and vans along the edge to prevent anyone stumbling too close to the steep drop of the cliff they were located on.

Most of the people were in shock and had come together outside the RV, finding comfort in being around other survivors.

The Dixon's had parked up a little further away from the rest of the group and Daryl was currently assembling the camping tent that Merle always kept in his truck along with other pieces of equipment for camping. Angel took stock of what they had accumulated. In the bed of the truck was Merles motorbike and rolling around the floor were cans of beer and tins of food. Shoved in the corner was her backpack, some sleeping bags, Daryl's hunting crossbow and several cartons of cigarettes.

"Get yerself covered up girl. I don't like the way that cop's staring at ya." Merle whispered to Angel as he came up behind her. She glanced over to the Winnebago to see the cop with the shotgun slung over his shoulder looking at her. She grinned and he immediately averted his eyes back to a brown haired woman standing next to him.

"Let him be." She laughed, leaning into the bed of the truck and grabbing a couple cans of beer, exposing more of her ass as her shorts rode up. Merle clocked what she was doing and turned to look back at the group, several more of the men checking her over.

Angel was smiling, knowing that she was embarrassing her big brother. Her smile faded when she felt a rough hand take her by the arm and yanked her back down to the ground. Daryl looked into her blue eyes, releasing his hold on her arm by giving her a shove backwards. She swatted his arm away but he placed his hand on her shoulder and gripped her tighter.

"Put yer damn clothes on Cub." He instructed her through gritted teeth. She studied his eyes and knew not to push Daryl when he got this angry. Shaking off his grip, she spat on the ground in front of him and reached back into the truck for her backpack. Slinging it over her shoulder she made her way over to their tent, making sure to give Daryl a thump with her shoulder as she pushed past him.

The two brothers gave each other a small nod.

Daryl collected his crossbow and the sleeping bags and headed back to the tent, Merle went in the direction of the people.

The blonde woman who Merle had 'saved' earlier eyed him as he entered the circle. "Are we really that hard done by that we have to live with certain types of people?" She asked in disgust as Merle sidled up bedside her. "My thoughts exactly blondie." Merle gave back in reply, fixing his steely blue eyes on a large black man.

"Hey, we won't be havin' any of that in this camp." The officer spoke up, taking a step into the center of the circle to try and stop the black man from taking action against the redneck. Merle held his hands up in mock surrender but kept a smirk on his face.

"Anyone know how to make a fire." The woman with long brown hair asked, rubbing her sons arms, indicating that they were getting cold. Merle dipped into a mock bow. "Well now, yer in luck. Ol' Merle here is yer man for the job."

As Merle set about the task of making a fire, Angel reappeared from the tent. She was still wearing her denim shorts but had changed into a black figure hugging t-shirt that once had a band logo on the front but was faded beyond recognition. Her feet were no longer bare, she now wore her old black military style boots that came midway up her calf. Peeking over the top of the boots were the tops of her chunky knit socks. Scrunched up in her hands was Daryl's flannel shirt.

Daryl had been waiting outside the tent, making sure no one came sniffing around his sister. He was sat on a old tree stump, fiddling with one of the bolts for his crossbow when she exited the tent. He looked her over and nodded up at her. "That'll have to do." He teased. Angel snorted and threw his balled up shirt in her brothers face. "Stop." She said, trying to make it sound like she was still annoyed with him.

She hooked her thumbs in the belt hoops of her shorts and looked around the camp. "Is Merle playin' happy family's now?" Angel asked. Daryl looked over in the direction of their brother. He was hovering over a stack of stones that he had arranged into a circle and was now showing a young boy and two other children how to make and start a camp fire. "He's tryin'." Daryl defended.

Angel was about to make her way over to her eldest brother when Daryl stood up. "Take this." He turned his back to the rest of the group to conceal the hunting knife he was passing to her. She opened her palms and let him place it in her hands. She looked at him quizzically. "We never taught ya how to use a gun. This is just incase one of those things, or," he turned to look at some of the camp members, "whatever might attack ya." Daryl looked back at her, chewing on his lip.

She nodded, understanding her brothers concern. She knelt down and slid the knife between her sock and boot. Standing back up she smiled at her brother in thanks. Daryl squeezed her shoulder and leant in, placing a quick kiss on her temple before moving back to the tent.

The camp fire was now lit, and just like moths everyone began to gather around it. Her eldest brother had lit a cigarette off of the flames and was now lounging back on the ground. Moving next to him, Angel gave him a nudge with her foot and he scooted over. He held out the lit cigarette and she took it off of him.

Soon Daryl joined them, no space next to his siblings but happy to sit behind his sister. She leant back into him and relaxed into his chest. Angel held up the rest of the cigarette for him and Daryl finished it off before flicking it back into the fire.

Conversation around the camp fire was stilted and morose. Everyone still trying to understand what this epidemic was. Some people shared stories of their experiences with these 'biters', others relayed things they had seen on the news. The Dixon clan remained quiet through the whole exchange.

An awkward silence gradually fell over everyone. Maybe it was because they were surrounded with strangers, maybe it was because they were thinking of people they had lost.

A young Asian man broke the silence. "Why don't we go round in a circle and introduce ourselves?" He suggested.

Angel snorted "We'll be singin' fuckin' kumbaya next." She muttered under her breath, just loud enough for her brothers to share a chuckle.

Everyone had politely introduced themselves, giving a name, where they were from and a little information about themselves. The last ones to partake in the group activity were the Dixon siblings and a family consisting of a large father, short haired mother and their shy daughter.

Merle cleared his throat. "I'll go then shall I? Names Merle Dixon. This here," he gave his brothers shoulder a slap, "is my baby brother Daryl, and this," he gave the brown haired girl a nudge, "is our lil' sister Angel. We were born and raised not far from here. I'm ex-military, and both me and my brother are seasoned hunters. Angel here was trainin' to be a pharmacist." She noted how he managed to leave out her job at Show 'n Tails.

"You know how to hunt?" The gray haired man named Dale asked. "Yes sir. Thinkin' tomorrow me and Daryl'll go out and find us all a deer or summit for dinner." The group perked up, their opinions changing to how useful the Dixon men could be in their camp.

"And someone with medical training? That's brilliant news." Lori added, thinking about the future health of her son or any of the children in the group.

"Don't get too excited. I ain't no doctor. I know what drugs do, how they interact with each other, when and how you should take 'em. I can't do surgery or nothin'." Angel felt she should add. She didn't need these people coming to her with serious medical conditions and expecting her to cure them.

One person couldn't take their eyes off of Angel, and at the mention of her training to be a pharmacist, Shane had looked perplexed. He didn't say anything though, just kept his thoughts to himself.

The mother with the short hair finally spoke up and introduced herself, her husband Ed and their daughter Sophia. But no more information was given.

"Well, looks like we'll be having a long day tomorrow. Probably best we all get some shut eye. Dale? Glenn? A word?" Shane asked, standing up and dusting off the dirt from his pants. The three men walked over to the RV, and the rest of the camp began to disperse.

Merle stood up and offered Angel his hand. She took it, and was pulled up and out of the comfortable embrace of Daryl. Merle slung his arm over Angels shoulder and steered her towards their tent. Daryl stretched, got up and followed behind his family.

At the entrance to the tent Angel untied her boots and climbed in. She took a spot right in the middle and laid down, putting her hands behind her head for support. Eventually Daryl laid to her left and Merle to her right. It was a tight squeeze in the two man tent but they'd all slept in far worse conditions before.

"Did ya enjoy that group therapy session?" Angel finally asked, taking a dig at how polite Merle had acted.

The oldest sibling chuckled. "Just givin' 'em a good impression. They already think we're scum on their boots." Merle tried to explain. "Besides, while everyone was partaking in that circle jerk, your ol' brother here was taking stock of all their worldly goods. I say in a couple days, while they're all sleepin' we rob 'em of everything they've got and make our own camp somewhere else."


	5. Separating

"I'm sick 'nd tired of waking up with yer knee in my back!" Angel huffed, throwing back her sleeping bag and giving her eldest brother a shove. Merle snorted in his sleep and rolled over. She knew he wouldn't wake up for a while, the past few nights he'd taken some of the tablets she'd swiped from the pharmacy and chased them with a couple cans of beer.

The group had been together for just over a month now and everyone had fallen into a routine. Shane had taken up position as leader and had delegated tasks to everyone else. Dale watched over the camp during the day from the top of his RV. Glenn would make quick runs into Atlanta to grab supplies, such as food and camping equipment that some members had not packed in their haste.

T-Dog, Morales and Shane took it in turns to do late night watches. Merle and Daryl were the designated hunters of the group. With Angels lack of hunting skills she had fallen into the group of women who took up the tasks of cleaning and mending clothes, cooking food and teaching the children.

Angel hated the fact that she was separated from her brothers, sometimes for days at a time while they were out tracking. She was no good with children and didn't know how to sew so she was stuck on cooking duty. She wasn't the only one that hated the way the tasks had been divided by gender. Andrea often made it known that she felt some of the women in the group were perfectly capable of taking over the task of watching over the camp during the day. Angel and Andrea very rarely saw eye to eye, but in this instance they both agreed.

The only person that didn't contribute anything to the camp was Ed. Angel knew men like him. Hell, she grew up with a man like him. Often she would see a bruise or a scrape on Carol and Sophia. Her brothers had noticed it too, and had promised to keep a watchful eye over Ed, but without seeing him physically causing any harm to his family the brothers felt they couldn't intervene.

Looking to her left, Angel noticed that Daryl wasn't by her side. While Merle continued to snore, she climbed out of the tent and stretched her cramped muscles.

The group were already awake and actively going about their tasks. Angel sat down on the tree stump outside their tent and pulled on her military boots. A large hand ruffled her hair and she grinned knowing it was her brother. She looked up to see Daryl already dressed with his crossbow slung over his shoulder.

"Mornin' Cub." He smiled, but Angel could instantly tell from his voice that he was holding something back. Her expression slowly faded into sadness and she turned back to lacing up her boots. "When are ya going?" She asked.

Daryl squatted down beside her. "In a bit. Saw some deer tracks headin' into the woods." "You takin' Merle?" She enquired.

"Nah. His head ain't been in the right place for a while. He's been takin' stuff, and I don't just mean the pills you got him." Angel looked up into Daryl's face and reflected back the concern they both had for their older brother. His behaviour had become erratic recently and neither one of them could gauge what he would do next.

Standing up, she nodded in understanding and looked away from her brother and over to the women and children huddled around the camp fire, cooking up breakfast. "Ya best get to gettin' then." Angel muttered, biting back her sadness and hoping she sounded uninterested . Looking straight ahead she started to walk towards the group but was abruptly spun around and engulfed in her brothers arms.

Daryl planted a kiss on top of her head and then rested his chin in the same spot. She wanted to push him away and get some distance between them because the more time she spent with him, the more she wanted him to stay. Gradually she let herself give in to her emotions, relaxing into his chest and wrapping her arms around him. Her nose was filled with his scent; musky and woody and completely comforting.

"I love ya Cub." He whispered above her ear, giving her one last squeeze before releasing her. Angel wrapped her arms around herself, trying to hold onto some of his warmth. She smiled and nodded at her brother. Daryl chewed his lip, hooked his thumb through the strap of his crossbow, and gave a nod back at her before turning on his heels and heading into the forest.

"Come back to me Daryl Dixon." She shouted after him, the same exact words she had said to him when he moved out of their family home. Daryl stopped and looked over his shoulder at his baby sister, the ghost of a knowing smile on his face. "We're a pack. I'll always come back to ya."

She watched her brothers retreating figure disappear into the woods. Not knowing what else to do, she made her way over to the camp and sat on the ground around the fire.

Carol was keeping a watchful eye over a couple of cans she had warming over the flames. In between her and Lori were Carl, Sophia and the Morales children. All of the children were huddled over one text book while Lori tried to explain one of the math problems.

Away from the camp fire, Shane and Glenn were deep in conversation. As usual Dale was standing on top of the RV, his binoculars hanging around his neck.

"Sleep well?" Jacqui asked Angel. She asked her the same thing every morning, and Angel was getting sick and tired of the monotony of how everyday played out the same. Hoping she didn't look as irritated as she felt, she nodded to Jacqui.

"Breakfast's ready." Carol announced, and portioned out the food, passing it around the circle. Angel looked into the bowl of warm beans and felt her stomach roll in disgust. She couldn't contain her annoyance anymore. "Don't we have anythin' other than this shit?"

A swift smack to the back of her head made her drop her bowl to the ground. "Ya watch yer mouth sunshade ." Merle growled from behind her. "Them kids can hear ya." He sat himself down beside his sister and leant into the fire, lighting the cigarette that was hanging from his lips.

Angel rubbed her head with one hand and scooped up her bowl of food with the other. "Ya managed to crawl out o' yer hole then?" She spat at her brother. He just chuckled in response.

While everyone ate, Shane and Glenn entered the circle. The officer squatted down next to Lori and addressed the group. "We're running short on supplies. Glenn and I were just talking, and the amount we need is too much for one man to get. Does anyone here wanna go on a run with him into the city?"

T-Dog, Jacqui and Morales volunteered themselves. Andrea also put herself forward, practically demanding no over look how useful she could prove to be. Just as it seemed settled Merle piped up.

"If any of ya'll came face to face with one of them nasties would ya even know how to protect yerselves?" He enquired. Everyone seemed unsure of what to say. Glenn simply showed Merle the machete he carried on him when he went on runs. Merle let out a snort. "That wouldn't even cut butter. I got experience with guns and combat, I'll come with ya and protect yer asses."

"If Merle's going you can count me out." T-Dog exclaimed. The other volunteers all sided with him. Surprisingly, Shane disagreed with them. "Much as I hate to admit it, Merle has a point. He could be vital to this run." It was settled, Glenn, Merle, Andrea T-Dog, Jacqui and Morales would meet back outside the RV in an hour.

Everyone split up. Lori was now teaching the children under the shade of a tree, Carol and Amy had gone down to the quarries pond to wash dishes. Shane and Glenn were going over a list of items that the group needed.

After a while Angel got up and made her way back to the tent. Kneeling outside of it, her brother was rummaging through his bag. She hung back a bit and observed as he erratically searched for something, found it and eventually deeply inhaled.

"You've got to be shittin' me Merle! Ya tell them people yer gonna protect them out there, and now you're doin' blow?!" She kept her voice low but made sure her brother could hear her anger. "Don't be gettin' yer panties in a bunch, it's just a lil' somethin' to help me get through the day." Merle wiped his nose with the back of his hand and stood up. "'Sides I figure Daryl will tag along and have my back."

"He ain't here Merle. He went off huntin' without ya." Angel explained,crossing her arms over her chest. Merle shrugged and pushed past his sister to collect some of his stuff for the trip. "His loss."

Knowing that this conversation was over Angel decided to head over to Glenn and the sheriff. She interrupted their conversation. "I'm comin' with ya on the run." She proclaimed. Shane scoffed at her demand, placing his hands on his hips. "I don't think that's such a good idea." He told her.

"Whats not a good idea is my brother going along while he's as high as a kite. I get why ya want him there but he ain't stable right now. I'm comin' to make sure he don't do nothin' stupid."

Before Shane could protest again, Glenn interjected. "Angel coming along isn't such a bad idea. Not just to keep and eye on Merle. Some of the others have medicines on this list and I wouldn't know where to start. I was with a group before you guys. One of them had a family who owned a shop with a pharmacy in it. It's right next to the department store we're heading for."

"That's settled then." The brunette finished. She turned and made her way back to the tent. Merle was no where to be seen. Angel grabbed her backpack and emptied everything out onto the sleeping bags. Leaving her bag open she went to the bed of her brothers truck and grabbed a couple of bottles of water and a few candy bars. She threw those items into the bottom of her bag and zipped it up. Lastly, she checked that she had Daryls hunting knife in her boot. Happy that she had everything, Angel shouldered the backpack and was about to make her way over to the RV when she noticed a shadow standing behind her.

"You wanna tell me what this bullshit is about you being some kind of doctor now?" A deep accented voice asked her.

Angel turned to look at the muscular man. His hands were on his hips and he was looking at her with sheer distaste. "You shooting the shit and getting everyone to believe you know medicines is one thing when lives aren't at stake. But I will not have you putting those people in danger by coming back here with a load of drugs that you don't even know what they do." He fumed.

A small smile broke out across the woman's face and she crossed her arms over her chest, knowing she was going to get great pleasure out of this.

"What makes you so sure I'm lyin'?" She asked. Shane's expression dropped slightly and he took a menacing step closer to her. In a lowered voice he continued. "You tell them people what you really are, or I will."

She guessed Shane wasn't used to people standing up to him when he was like this, because as Angel leant in closer to his face he seemed confused. "You'd really let slip to Lori or the others that ya used to come visit me at the strip club once a week. How you'd drop yer months wages tryin' to get me to give ya some extras." She laughed into his face and looked him up and down. "You ain't got the balls, pig."

She took great delight in seeing the officer struck speechless for once. She brushed past him to leave, but turned once more to add, "Just because I'm white trash don't mean I'm lyin' 'bout an education. I did train to be a pharmacist before I worked in the

club. So just because you've had yer face between my legs don't mean ya know shit 'bout me."

Everyone was assembled at the Winnebago and were carrying all manner of bags and weapons. Angel entered the group in time to hear Merle passing racial slurs with T, and she could tell T-Dog had already had his fill of Merle Dixon. She gave her brother a hard thump in the chest, stopping him mid-sentance. "Would ya shut yer trap and get in the van? We're tradin' daylight for dark."

"Com'on my lil' wolf cub, me and Mr. T-Bone Steak were just chewing the fat." Merle joked. His laugh stuck in his throat when he noticed his sister throwing her bag into the back of the van that would be taking them into Atlanta.

"Fuck ya think yer doing?!" He demanded, grabbing her upper arm and holding her in front of him. The others started getting into the van. "I'm going along to babysit yer sorry ass." She shook off his grip and took a step back. "Plus, people here need medicines." She made sure to add so she didn't annoy her brother further

She walked round to the back of the van. Angel noticed that the conversation stopped as she climbed in. She took a seat next to T-Dog, feeling his wary gaze "You gonna be giving me grief about the color of my skin too?"

Angel leant back in her seat, feeling very small under everyones watchful eyes. "Don't judge folks by their relatives."


	6. The Run

Andrea swerved around abandoned vehicles, heading straight into the city. The rest of the group sat in a nervous silence, all apart from Merle who didn't seem to know how to keep quiet when he was strung out. He was bobbling his knee up and down at a furious rate while going into details of his time in the marines.

Angel could tell that Merle's action was putting the others on edge. She dug her elbow into his side and shot him a look, which managed to silence him briefly.

Glenn took advantage of the quiet and turned around from his spot in the passengers seat to address everyone in the back. "Ok, here's the plan. We're going to park at the back of the department store, there's an alleyway down the side. We get down there, clear it of any geeks. You guys," he indicated to everyone apart from Angel, "go in the side door, it's probably locked so someone will need to jimmy it open while the rest of you cover their backs. Once you're in gather any clothes, cooking supplies, anything that could be useful. Merle, you need to get to the roof. From up there you'll have a good vantage point over the streets. Across the alleyway is the store me and Angel will break into. I'll get her in there and then I'm heading a few stores over to a camping shop, see if I can pick anything up there. Merle if you see either of us heading back to you guys we need you to take out any geeks. Do not shoot until then. They're drawn to sound. Are we all clear?" He asked, looking from face to face. Most people nodded, Angel chewed on her thumb in worry.

Everybody was deep in thought, running over the plan in their heads. Some fiddled with their weapons to keep their minds preoccupied. Glenn reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out a scrunched up piece of paper. He leant back and handed Angel the list of medicines people had requested. Merle started back up with his nonsensical chatter, but she tuned him out.

The list had been written in a rush and was barely legible but she could just about make out the brand names of the medicines. Without realising it she started thinking of them by their drug names, an old habit she had when she had worked in the pharmacy.

 _Cholecalciferol, chlorphenamine, mepyramine maleate cream, lansoprazole..._ the list went on and on. She hoped that with her knowledge of drugs she would be able to find everything that was needed. If the pharmacy had already been raided, Angel hoped that in their panic people would have grabbed the commonly known branded products and left the majority of the generic drugs untouched.

Her brothers yapping and inability to keep still was setting T-Dog on edge. His jaw was tense and his hands were clenched in to tight fists. "Would ya quit squirming. Yer giving me motion sickness." Angel growled at him. Looking into his eyes she could tell from his pupils that he was still high, but there was something else. _Concern_? It wouldn't be for himself, Merle had faced worse predicaments than this. _For her?_

Once inside the city Andrea slowed the van down, avoiding bodies and debris on the ground. Glenn directed her towards the department store and once inside the parking lot, Andrea pulled the vehicle to a stop right by the alleyway. Everyone climbed out the van, making sure to be as quiet as possible. Glenn popped the trunk and pulled out two crowbars and a backpack which he shrugged on. T-Dog took one of the crowbars from him and Glenn kept hold of the other.

"We all know what we're doing? I'll look down the alley now, see if there's any geeks. Once I give the signal you all follow me to the door. T will open it, rest of you keep watch. Angel and I will break off and get into the other store." Before any acknowledgment Glenn ran to the corner of the department store and peered round. Satisfied, he waved his hand to the others who followed behind him.

Half way down the alleyway was the side door Glenn had mentioned. T-Dog got himself in position and jammed the crowbar in the crack of the door, giving it a few tugs. Everyone else had their weapons drawn and were keeping watch of their immediate surroundings. As Angel was just about to break away from everyone to follow Glenn, Merle caught her arm. They exchanged a brief nod before he let her go, not watching anything else except his sister, until she disappeared inside the pharmacy door Glenn had managed to prize open.

The inside of the pharmacy smelt stale and once Angels eyes has adjusted to the darkness she noticed that the shelves which would have lined the aisles, had been knocked over, and all manner of liquids were congealing on the floor. Looking around it seemed that most of the store had been thoroughly raided, the counters and shelves were practically bare. Straight across from her she saw the dispensary with its shutters pulled down and still appeared very much in tact.

"You got the keys for them?" She asked Glenn, nodding in the direction of the pharmacy. "You won't need them. The door on the right there leads to an office. Inside there is another door that connects into the pharmacy, it's been unlocked. Doesn't look like anyone's been here since I last came. Hopefully that means you'll find everything you need." He gave her an optimistic smile, and for the first time that day she felt comforted. She may not have spent much time talking to the other members of the group, she tended to stick to the familiarity of her brothers, but she had always found the Asian man to be caring and genuine.

Glenn laid the crowbar on the top of the counter and threw the backpack next to it. He then set about collecting the remaining useful items that were discarded on the floor.

Noticing some boxes of paracetamol and ibuprofen behind the counter, Angel scooped them up and placed them into Glenn's bag. She then made her way over to the office door. _I hope Merle isn't causing too much trouble_ , she thought.

She must have said it out loud because Glenn spoke over to her. "How is it that you two are related? You're, like, complete opposites." She turned to look at him, he'd given up collecting batteries and protein bars to talk to her. It was a strange feeling, having someone take an interest and want to hear her speak.

"We ain't that different. I can be hot headed and say stupid shit like Merle, 'cept Merle doesn't know when to quit. And I can be quiet and less brash, like Daryl. I'm a mix of the two." She smiled, just thinking about Daryl. "We were all brought up together, saw the same shit together. The only thing different is they always did the fightin', I did the thinkin'."

Glenn had such a warm and understanding look on his face. He was seeing her, Angel, and not part of the Dixon pack. It was strange, but for the first time in a long time it made her feel like she was an independent person. He wasn't seeing her as a scrounging child, or a sexual object, or even a redneck piece of trash. He was just seeing her.

"And the racial taunts and the drug taking, are you..." "No." She answered before he could even finish. "That's all Merle. Daryl and I, we ain't like that. We saw our old man doin' that kinda stuff. It's like we went the opposite way. But Merle...I donno...it's like he needed that as an escape."

Glenn nodded realising Angel wasn't prepared to say anymore on the matter, and a silence fell between them. "Well." He said, turning back to the counter and collecting his backpack, "I'm going to the other store. Depending on how much trouble there is out there I hopefully won't be too long. Once you've got everything just wait for me here, I'll come back for you and we'll go over to the others together."

Angel nodded in understanding, and waited until he was out of the building before heading into the office.

Scanning the small room she saw an old mattress on the floor, part of a ripped photograph lay on top. In one corner was a unit with a television sat on top, and a desk had been moved into the middle of the room. The thing she couldn't help noticing was the dried blood all over the floor.

She tried to step around the pools of blood and made her way into the dispensary. The worry in her heart was alleviated when she saw that hardly anything back here had been taken. The people who had owned this pharmacy had kept it well stocked and had practically everything on her list. She set about the task of gathering the medicines that were needed.

As she moved around the shelves and draws of drugs she noted the metal safe that was tucked under one of the counters. _The controlled drugs cabinet_ , she thought, and bent down in front of it. She gave the handle a hard tug but as she had predicted it was still locked. No one had asked for anything that would be inside of the safe but Angel had once again been thinking of drugs for her brother. _Old habits die hard I guess._

After storing all the boxes and bottles of medicines she needed into her bag, she decided to gather items that she thought might be useful. Bandages, tape, antiseptic creams. All in all she had put together a large first aid kit.

With one last look around the pharmacy she was satisfied she had got everything useful. She closed the door behind her, dodged the blood in the office again, and was back in the main shop. Angel did a quick lap of the store, collecting a couple of flash lights, batteries and band aids. She ended up back at the spot by the cashier counter.

She didn't have any way of knowing what time it was or how much longer Glenn would be, so she hopped up onto the counter right beside the crowbar Glenn had left behind. Using her backpack as a pillow, she laid down and covered her eyes with her arm. All she could do now was wait.


	7. Safe In Memories

Angel guessed she must have accidentally fallen asleep, because the next thing she knew she was startled by the sound of gun fire. Sitting up and holding her breath she tried to pin point the exact location of the noise. Another few shots and she determined they were being fired into the alleyway. _Shit Merle, please be ok._

To make matters worse there were no windows in the shop that faced out towards the department store. The only way to see what was happening would be to open the door her and Glenn had entered through. And if there were walkers already out there she would be putting herself at risk.

Sliding off of the counter, Angel grabbed the crowbar and quietly made her way to the door. Less than a foot away from it she could hear multiple dragging, labored footsteps and deep, growling moans. She turned facing into the store and leant her back against the steel of the door. Clutching the crowbar to her chest, she slid down to the floor.

Fear and helplessness flooded over her, and with those familiar feelings crashed a wave of unwanted memories.

Threatening footsteps. Her fathers hands all over her. Laying in silence until he finished. Curling up in the corner. Not letting herself cry. Wishing her brothers would come home and save her.

She hated herself for relying so heavily on Merle and Daryl. If only she was half as strong as them maybe it would have given her a better chance in this new world. Instead she had let them be her protectors. Merle was always the one to fix things with fists and sheer brute force but Daryl was the one who comforted her with his kind words and his warm embrace.

Angel squeezed her eyes shut and rested her head against the cold metal of the crowbar, fighting back unwanted emotions just thinking about Daryl. When he would come home from work or school or on the occasions when he would visit once he had moved out, he would seek her out before doing anything else. When he would find her curled up and blank of all emotion he would always take her into his arms and comfort her. Daryl would never ask her what their old man did, she hoped he thought they had just had a fight, and neither of them would speak about it. The Dixons may never show their emotions, but when it was just Angel and Daryl, he would often let his guard down.

Always the sweet one. That's what Merle said about their brother. And it was true. He may act tough around other people but to Angel he was the kindest person she had ever known. His embrace was calming, she could feel his love for her.

Angel would never tell him what their father did to her, and she hoped Daryl would never ask. All three of them hated their father, but if Daryl were to ever know, she didn't even want to imagine what he would do. He may be the quiet one out of the men, but when angered he was just as volatile as Merle.

 _He doesn't even know I'm gone_ , she snapped her head back up in realization. As far as Daryl was aware, her and Merle were still safe at the camp. _What if he comes looking for us and runs into walkers?!_ She couldn't stop the worry and started twisting the crowbar between her hands.

Through the groans and feet dragging across the asphalt Angel noticed that the gunshots had stopped. She stilled her breathing once again and listened carefully. Still the lumbering sounds of the walkers, and Angel thought she could hear raised voices, but maybe she was just hoping to hear other signs of life.

The alternative was the possibility of something awful having happened to the group. She couldn't tell if she should be more or less worried about Merle now that there was no gunfire. Her head was so full of fears and pain of not knowing that she couldn't sit still any longer. Rising to her feet, she quietly made her way back to the counter and her backpack. Unzipping it she pulled from the bottom a bottle of water. Avoiding broken glass on the floor, Angel made her way around the counter and took a box of paracetamol off the shelf.

She popped the two pills into her mouth and chased them down with some of the warm water. Angel hoped they would numb the dull ache she was getting in her temples, though deep down she knew it was being caused by the stress, and that wasn't going away anytime soon. She tried a tactic she had used to cope through bad times, tuning out the world around her and looking back on past memories that at the time seemed awkward and embarrassing, but now she could smile about.

Her go to memory was always the most cringeworthy. She was 13 and had just got her first period. Angel knew what it was but was completely unprepared for when it would happen. Without a mom to confide in and help her she turned to the closet family member she had; Daryl.

Angel stood awkwardly in the doorway of their bedroom. "Dar', I'm bleedin'." She nervously blurted out. He had been laying on the mattress flicking through a magazine at the time. He looked up at her, his eyes scanning over her to see where she may be cut. Seeing nothing he had turned back to what he was reading. "Ya know where the band aids are."

"Not like that Dar'. Like...what women do..." She trailed off and chewed on her lip. Realization and shock crept across her brothers face. He dropped the magazine and got up from the mattress. "Shit Cub, I don't know what to do!" He practically shouted.

Angel averted her eyes to floor, finding it too embarrassing to look straight at her brother. "I need...things. I dunno...tampons, towels...shit I dunno, somethin' to make it stop."

Daryl had given her a small nod and left the house. Within half an hour he came back to their bedroom, laden with two plastic bags from the local store. He dropped onto the mattress next to where his sister was sitting. "I didn't know what to get...so..." He trailed off and started unpacking the bags, showing Angel everything he'd purchased. Several packs of sanitary towel, a few boxes of tampons but Angel had to stop herself from laughing out loud when Daryl produced a blue pack labelled 'Tena'.

"Ya think I'm goin' ta piss myself as well?" She couldn't help but tease, pointing out the description on the pack of the incontinence pants. She watched as her brother realised what they were for. "Fuck Cub I didn't know what to get. I didn't know I'd ever have to do..this..." He grumbled into his chest.

A rush of love and pride filled Angels heart. She couldn't contain the emotions and launched into Daryl, wrapping her arms around him and nuzzling her head into his neck. She felt protected and cared for, and she loved that she could rely on Daryl to always be there for her.

The hug took Daryl by surprise and he froze at the unexpected contact. Gradually he relaxed, engulfing her small frame in his arms. "Thanks Daryl." She whispered, giving him a small squeeze. "I gotcha Cub. Always will." He replied, rocking her gently in his arms, a habit started back when she was just a baby.

Once they broke apart Angel sensed that the moment had passed. While she gathered up all the products she hoped this incident would be forgotten about. She had gone off to the bathroom and her brother resumed reading the magazine like nothing had happened.

Her wish for it to be forgotten about was short lived. The next day Merle had approached her while she was on her own in the bedroom. He sat beside her and started to tell her about men and women and sex. Whereas Daryl had been nervous and embarrassed, Merle was brash and straight to the point. Angel wished the ground would swallow her up while her eldest brother carried on his spiel.

It didn't take a genius to realise that Daryl must have told Merle about what had happened. No more was ever said about the matter, but Angel would notice how aggressive and protective her brothers became when she would hang out with them and their male friends.

Angels mind continued to wonder, and she was so deep in her thoughts that she practically screamed in shock when the door to the shop burst open. T-Dog rushed in, shutting the door behind himself. He clutched the other crowbar and Angel noticed blood dripping from the pointed head.

"T? Where's Glenn? What..." He interrupted her. "We need to go. There's too many walkers. I'll explain later. Come on." He panted.

Angel grabbed her bag off of the counter and made her way to him. Before he could open the door she gripped the neck of his top and looked into his eyes with concern. "My brother, is he ok?"

T-Dog looked away from her, debating whether to say anything. With his eyes still averted from hers he finally spoke. "He was wild. Randomly shooting, threatening us. He had to be stopped. A new guy cuffed him up on the roof. He's still there. The key...I...it's gone..." He trailed off.

Angel loosened her grip on him as she tried to process what he was telling her. Noticing the break in contact, T-Dog yanked the door open. "We gotta go, now!" He told her, giving her no choice but to follow as he ran into the alley.


	8. Lean On Me

The bright sunlight hurt Angels eyes and it took her a moment to adjust. Blinking a couple of times she was able to see T-Dog in front of her, swinging his crowbar in an arch and bringing it down on a male walkers head. She felt her stomach roll in disgust not just at the sight of the blood when T yanked it back out of the dead mans skull, but also from the cracking and squelching noises.

From her left she heard a deep groan and turned to look into the dead eyes of another man. His decaying arms were held out and he lumbered towards her. Every part of her told her to run, but some deep instinct inside of her propelled her into raising her crowbar up and smash it down into the mans head, exactly as T-Dog had done.

The man fell to the ground but Angel was not prepared for how well the crowbar would stick into his skull. As he fell she was pulled down with him. His body was limp and lifeless, and Angel tried to pull her crowbar out but it wouldn't budge. Strong hands took hold of the shaft of metal and she released her grip on it. She took a step back so T-Dog could get better purchase on it. He put one of this feet on the shoulder of the dead man to keep him in place and gave a powerful pull to free the crowbar.

Angel just stood there staring at the corpse. Her brain was reeling from what she had just done, the first 'person' she had ever killed. She felt disgust and sadness but above all those emotions she felt...thrilled.

"Com'on!" T-Dog broke her from her thoughts, handing her back her crowbar. The immediate route to the department store door was clear, and the pair of them made a run for it. T banged on the door a couple of times and Jacqui opened it enough for the pair of them to squeeze in, and then closing it behind them.

"We have to get to the shutters!" Jacqui shouted at them, already taking off in the direction where the others were waiting. "What about Merle?!" She hadn't fully understood what T-Dog had told her, but she assumed he wasn't with the others. "He's handcuffed up on the roof, I dropped the key. We can't wait for him, there are walkers at the doors, it's only a matter of time before they brake through. I padlocked the roof door, they won't be able to get to him. We'll go, and come back later for him." T-Dog tried to calmly explain but at the same time trying to usher Angel to follow Jacqui.

"Like hell ya will!" Angel fumed. "I'll get him myself." She pushed past the large man and out onto the shop floor. At the entrance to the department store was a crowd of walkers pounding on the glass. Angel could see it wouldn't hold much longer. She turned away from them and was about to head up the stairs when T-Dog wrapped an arm around her waist and threw her over his shoulder. "I can't let ya." He gave in explanation as he carried her towards the shutter doors.

Angel kicked him and pounded on his back but T just kept on walking. Resorting to her only means of attack, Angel bit down on the mans shoulder. Instantly T-Dog released his grip on her and instinctively put his hand on to the bite wound. It was enough for Angel to wriggle off of his shoulder and slide to the ground. As soon as her feet hit the floor she ran back to the stairs and took them two at a time. Behind her she heard the glass front doors breaking.

As she climbed she tried to form a plan. The walkers may be slow but sooner or later they would catch up to her and her brother. If the roof door really was padlocked shut she was going to have to find another way to Merle.

Reaching the floor just below the rooftop, Angel left the stairs and ran into what looked like a cafeteria. She eased the double doors closed behind her and ran over to the wrap around windows. Peering out on to the streets of Atlanta was like looking down on an army of ants. Walkers were swarming around the department store.

Angel tore her eyes away from the mass of bodies and looked across the outside of the building. Finally her eyes landed on what she had hoped would be part of the structure; an old style fire escape with ladders all the way up to the roof. Angel followed the room around and into the kitchen area. The only source of light into this room was a large window, large enough so people could climb out of it and onto one of the landings of the fire escape.

She heaved open the heavy window until it stuck. The outside noises flooded in, and mixed in with the groans of the walkers was a blaring alarm of some kind but even louder than that was the sound of a very human scream coming from above.

Wasting no time, Angel jumped out of the window and started ascending the old metal ladder right to the top. Finally on the roof she was immediately drawn to source of the screaming; Merle.

Her brother was hunched over on the ground, shouting profanities into the floor. Angel moved slowly closer and saw a pool of blood underneath a now empty pair of dangling handcuffs. She stopped in shock at the sight of a dismembered hand laying in the middle of the blood.

"Merle..." She practically whispered. Her brother snapped around to look at her, cradling his bleeding arm to his chest. He mumbled something but Angel wasn't able to make out what it was. Moving into action, she ran to her brothers side to look at his wound,noticing the bloody hack saw and his belt discarded beside him.

"Jesus Merle, what've ya done?!" She knelt beside him and grabbed his belt from the ground. "Thought everyone left me for dead." He moaned as Angel wrapped the belt around the tender skin just above his bleeding stump and pulled it as tight as she could, making Merle spit out more expletives. She buckled it up and quickly shrugged off her backpack , pulling out a reel of crepe bandage.

"They might of but I wouldn't!" She berated him, carefully but firmly wrapping the gauze around his bleeding arm. She sealed it with some tape she had taken. "We need to stop the bleedin'." She spoke mostly to herself, racking her brain as to what to do.

"Ya can fix it right? Stitch it back on?" Merle pleaded, still gripping his arm as she stood up. "Fuck Merle I'm no surgeon!" She threaded the crowbar through the arm straps of her backpack so she would have both hands free, and then shouldered it back on. Angel noticed her brothers dazed expression and realised he was delirious from the exposure form the sun, as well as the high he was still coming down from. Merle stumbled and she moved to his left side, putting his good arm over her shoulder and taking some of the burden of his weight, she also managed to grab his rifle.

She steered them both towards the fire escape, walkers were now at the rooftop door but the padlock and chain seemed to be keeping them from getting out. "There's a kitchen downstairs. I'll try patchin' ya up better there."

The descent down the ladder had been arduous. Angel had gone down first so that she could support Merle if he lost his grip. Eventually they had made it to the window Angel had left open and they were now located in the kitchen. Merle was slumped on the floor while Angel heated up the gas stove and placed a frying pan over the flames.

Thankfully no biters had made their way into the cafeteria, but Angel placed a wooden spoon in Merle's mouth to bite down on instead of scream which could potentially attract danger. She had removed the blood soaked bandage and discarded it on the floor. Once she was satisfied the pan was hot enough she took it off of the stove and knelt with it beside her brother.

"Ain't gonna lie, this'll hurt like a son'a bitch. But I gotta cauterise that wound." Without giving him a moment to prepare she pressed the searing hot base of the frying pan onto the bleeding stump. Merle's whole body tensed in pain and he started pounding the wall behind him with his left hand. The veins on his neck popped out as he bit down hard on the wooden spoon.

The smell of burning flesh made Angel gag. Pulling the pan away from her brothers arm she was satisfied that the bleeding had stopped. While she dropped the frying pan and rummaged through her bag for a fresh bandage Merle spat out the wooden spoon, taking in deep hard breaths.

"Ya couldn't of just sawed ya thumb off and slip them cuffs off, ya had to take yer whole hand?!" Angel felt now was as good a time as any to scold her brother for his stupidity. "Hey, it ain't my fault this happened! If that cop hadn't chained me up and that damn nigga hadn't dropped the key I'd still have my arm!" He fumed. Angel looked at him in disbelief. "And I bet you were a fuckin' Saint in all of this?!"

Merle tried to chuckle but winced in pain instead. Angel looked down at her brother in concern. "We need to get ya to the pharmacy. They got stronger stuff than what I've got." She left the kitchen and walked over to the windows overlooking the alleyway. "Looks like the biters have all moved to the other side of the store. Probably after the others. Makes it easier for us."

She walked back into the cafeteria and put her backpack back on, making sure the crowbar was secure. She offered out her left hand to her brother and helped pull him up. Merle swayed on his feet, but finally finding his equilibrium, he retrieved his rifle that was leant against the wall beside him and he followed behind Angel, out of the window and descended to the ground.


	9. Waiting It Out

Once inside the safety of the pharmacy, Merle had collapsed on the floor, propping himself up against the cashiers counter. His eyes were squeezed shut, fighting back the pain. Angel had squatted in front of him and held one of the bottles of water to his lips and he eagerly drank it all.

Angel left him there with a protein bar while she made her way back into the dispensary. She had considered giving Merle some of the Tramadol tablets he enjoyed so much, but decided against them due to the drowsiness they cause, and she needed her brother to be as alert as possible out here.

She made her way around the shelves to the safe she had spotted in her earlier visit. Angel stuck the sharp point of the crowbar into the small gap between the door and the main unit and leant all her weight against it. She felt a little bit of give and her crowbar wedged itself in the jam, which enabled Angel to repeatedly kick the rod of metal until it finally fell to ground and the metal door peeked open.

Angel smiled proudly to herself, and blew a piece of her brown hair out of her eyes. Kneeling down in front of the safe, she pulled the door open wider and scanned the stack of controlled medicines. There wasn't as much stock as she had had at her old place of work, but she spotted the Fentanyl patches she was hoping would be there. Angel grabbed several of the slim boxes and made her way back to her brother.

The patches weren't the highest strength, but Merle would just have to make do. As she approached she noticed he had finished off the protein bar and looked a little more with it, though his face was still red from the exposure to the sun. She sat down by his bandaged arm and ripped open one of the boxes, sliding out a thin piece of foil which she carefully unwrapped to reveal the patch.

"What? I ain't injured enough for some methadone?" Merle questioned her, giving the small patch a wary look. "This'll do for ya pain just fine." She commented, pushing his vest and t-shirt aside and sticking the patch to the bare skin above his shoulder blade. "You want pills that bad, here." She got up and moved behind the counter, grabbing the pack of paracetamol she had used earlier. She chucked the pack by the side of her brother. "Take two of those."

Merle growled out a chuckle as Angel came back round to him and hopped up onto the counter. "Yep, ya definitely ain't a doctor with that bedside manner." He popped two of the pills into his mouth and dry swallowed them.

"I say we stay here 'till mornin'. If Daryl ain't come by then, then we make our own way back to camp." Angel said, swinging her feet back and forth. Merle turned to look up at her over his shoulder. "What makes ya think he's comin'?" He asked curiously. "He's our brother Merle. 'Course he's gonna come lookin' for us."

"What if them people get in his ear? Tell him we both got bit?" He raised his eyebrows in question. "Oh yer great company. Why'd I get stuck with you?" She sarcastically drawled. Merle reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a crumpled up pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He gave the pack a quick shake and bit down on two of the ends that had popped up. Lighting both of the tips, he took one from his mouth and offered it up to his sister, who gratefully accepted it.

"He'll come." Trying to sound convincing. "They'll think we're still in the department store, so we just gotta listen out for a car engine." She took a long hit off her cigarette, taking it deep down into her lungs and then releasing the smoke from her mouth. Angel hopped off of the counter and sat beside her brother, both of them falling into a contemplative silence.

Angel stared down at the floor, chewing on her lip, before she finally spoke. "I killed a man Merle." Her brother looked at her but she refused to meet his gaze. "Not a man. One of them biters. But it was a man. Once. Cracked it's head open with my crowbar. I knew I'd have to do it eventually. But...I felt...excited. Like...I got a rush out of it..." She turned to look at her brother. Merle could see she was confused and worried and her eyes almost pleaded with him to be compassionate. She quickly looked back at the floor, feeling ashamed for blurting out her emotions.

"Hey." Merle soothingly said, taking her chin between his thumb and index finger and turning her face to look back at him. "Ya ain't done nothin' wrong. Like ya said, it weren't a man. This would be different if ya'd killed some innocent person and felt that way, but ya were protectin' yerself. And that rush is probably just adrenaline." Angel could feel herself falling apart with each soft word Merle spoke, but fought back the emotions just like she had always done.

Merle gently released her chin and snaked his arm around her shoulders, drawing her into his side. "Guess me and Daryl shoulda taken ya huntin'. We just didn't think ya'd ever need to know how." Angel snuggled her head into him. "Ya weren't to know this was gonna happen. Guess you're gonna have to learn how to do everythin' one handed." Merle gave her shoulder a squeeze and they fell back into silence, the only noises to be heard were the soft moans of walkers outside.

"D'ya think the old mans still alive?" Angel softly whispered, flicking the end of her cigarette across the store. "Maybe. I hope he's made to suffer for a long time, like he did to us." Merle was quick to reply. He mulled over whether to say anymore, but couldn't hold it back. "When I left ya both, did he ever hurt ya?" All Angel could muster was a nod against his shoulder. "God dammit I never shoulda left ya." Merle growled.

"Ya had to. I know that now. Daryl had to too. I'm still alive ain't I?" She turned her head to look up at her eldest brother, forcing a smile. Merle looked back into those pale blue eyes of hers and couldn't help but feel his heart constrict with sadness at what she must have gone through in his absence. "Ain't the point and ya know it. Mom always told us to care for ya and we high tailed it as soon as we could. We were supposed to protect ya."

"And ya did. You both did for as long as ya could. We're Dixon's. Ain't nothing that can beat us." Angled mumbled before stifling a yawn against the back of her hand. The events of the day we're catching up to her and she could feel her eyelids getting heavier. That mixed with the safety and security she felt in her brothers embrace made her body relaxed enough to start to drift into sleep.

Merle felt her body starting to weigh heavier on his shoulder as she succumbed to her exhaustion. He gently nudged her. "Lay down. Get some sleep little Cub. I gotcha." He softly spoke to her, words that were even more comforting, reminding her of Daryl. Angel shifted back a bit and laid herself down, resting her head on her brothers leg. Merle entwined his fingers into her soft brown hair and started to gently stroke it.

"...we gotta listen...for Daryl..." Angel mumbled. "I'm listening don't worry." Merle replied, though he too could feel sleep sweeping over him. He just wanted his baby sister to sleep without fear or worry. Soon he heard her breathing become deeper and regular as she finally succumbed to the sleep. Knowing she was safe and calm, Merle felt himself drift off too.


	10. Learning

**Wow, thank you all so much for the favorites and 're all awesome and it's encouraging me to keep this story moving at such a steady speed I hope you continue to enjoy this. Thank you once again xxx**

She felt her brother shifting beneath her and Angel slowly stirred from her dreamless sleep. All of a sudden the events of the day before came rushing back to her as her mind snapped into being a awake. She sat bolt upright, scanning the room for any possibility of threats before settling her eyes on her brother.

Merle had been awake for a while but hadn't wanted to wake his sister. The pain in his arm was throbbing again and he hadn't been able to help tensing and wriggling when it got too bad. He looked at her and gave her a pained smile. "Sorry Cub didn't mean to wake ya. It's just my arms hurtin' pretty bad." With her now awake he freely started to massage around his bandages.

Angel rubbed her eyes. "It shouldn't though. Those patches last for 72 hours." She stood up and dusted off the back of her shorts. Her bag was laying by her side and she scooped it up and placed it on the counter. From inside she pulled out another bottle of water and the open pack of Fentanyl. Opening the water she took a swig of it as she moved around to the side of her brothers bad arm. Angel knelt down beside him and offered the water bottle to him, which he gladly accepted.

While he drank, Angel added another patch to her brothers arm just beside the one he was wearing. "I ain't givin' ya anything more than that." She discarded the foil wrapper on the floor. "Have ya heard anythin'?" She asked him.

Merle drew the water bottle back from his lips and sadly shook his head. Angel felt a part of her heart crumple up in sadness. She had been so certain their brother would have come for them both by now. He wouldn't just give up on us...would he?

"Then we'll go to him." She said matter of factly. She moved into action, zipping up her backpack and threading her arms through the holes. Merle pushed himself up with his good hand and gave a stretch, making a few bones in his back pop. "I suggest we get some grub first." He spoke gruffly. He handed Angel her crowbar and was about to collect his rifle when he thought against it. "Yer not taking it?" Angel asked quizzically.

"Nah. I can't support it with just the one hand." Merle answer, looking around the store for anything else he could use as a weapon. Angel bent down and reached into her boot, pulling out the hunting knife Daryl had given her. "Ain't a gun, but it'll do the job." She said, holding it out to her brother. Merle twisted the handle in his hand, getting a feel for the knife. He gave a nod that he was ready, and the pair of them moved to the exit, listening carefully for any noise outside.

Two walkers aimlessly stood in the alleyway but both turned at the sound of the door being opened. Acting on instinct, Merle stepped protectively infront of his sister and held the knife ready in his hand as the closest walker stumbled towards them. Within arms reach Merle thrust the blade into the side of the dead woman's head and yanked it free again, causing a spray of blood. The woman fell to the ground instantly and Merle let out a breathe of satisfaction.

"Piece o' cake. You're turn little Cub." He stepped aside so Angel could see the second walker ambling toward them. She looked from it back to her brother in disbelief. "Ya want me to kill it?!"

"We can keep a tally of who gets the most." Merle hoped his sister wouldn't sense how he was trying to force this into a game. The real reason he needed her to do this was so that she could see that killing these walkers was now a necessity of life, and she shouldn't feel ashamed of any emotions she felt when doing it. Another small part of it was for him to see if his sister could take care of herself, at least this way he could watch and step in if she froze.

As the walker advanced closer to Angel she took a step back, crowbar held in both hands. She looked from the dead man back to her brother. "This ain't a fuckin' game Merle!" She looked back into the dead mans eyes as he came ever closer. "Then prove it!" Merle shouted at her, trying to provoke her to make a move.

She took the crowbar in her right hand and swung up, arching it down onto the man. Her lack of accuracy with using just the one hand made the crowbar miss the initial target of the mans skull and was instead impaled on his shoulder. The dead man snapped and raised its arm out towards her, the shaft of metal keeping it from being able to fully get to Angel.

"Ooooo you just made him madder than an Amish electrician." Merle chuckled. Angel was now being forced backwards further until her back hit the surface of the pharmacy stores exterior wall. "Ya gonna help me?!" She pleaded, feeling completely helpless. "Nope this is all yours. Kick it back, pull your crowbar out of it and go again." Merle coached.

"Fuck ya Merle Dixon!" She practically spat. She used the wall behind her to brace herself as she leant back and lifted her right leg. With both hands on the crowbar she held tight, drew her knee up to her chest and with as much might as she could muster, she kicked out, connecting the sole of her boot with the walkers chest and sending it stumbling backwards. With her firm grip on her weapon she managed to pull it out of the decayed flesh. A rush of anger spread through her as the dead man started coming back at her again. Both hands holding the middle of the crowbar she once again raised it up above her head and bought it down into the top of the mans skull.

Her brother watched her do all this in one fluid motion. He felt pride at how well she could take care of herself, but mixed in was a trace of concern at how this could toughen his baby sisters heart. One of the main things that was different between him and his sister was how innocent she could be, how she could look at new things in wonder and amazement. That the world hadn't beaten her down regardless of what she had been through. Merle didn't want her to lose that amazing quality but saw no way to preserve it in this new world.

While Merle stood deep in his thoughts, Angel pulled the crowbar out of the dead mans skull and gave it a hard shake, ridding some of the blood and brain matter from the metal and splattering onto the asphalt. She blew a strand of hair out of her eyes and looked back to her brother. "Guess that's two one to me." She sarcastically said, resting the crowbar against her shoulder.

Merle chuckled and stepped over the body of the dead woman. "Yeah, we'll see how long that lasts. Come on, let's go find us some food." He reached out and gave Angels shoulder a squeeze before walking past her and down further into the alleyway that snaked behind other businesses. The brunette looked back down at the man she had just killed. There was that feeling again. That rush of excitement and satisfaction. With the crowbar still on her shoulder, she spat down on the ground beside the corpses face. She turned and followed behind her brother.


	11. Home

The two Dixons encountered several more walkers on their look out for food. Thankfully they were either on their own or in small clusters which made it easier for the siblings to take care of. Eventually they found a small family run restaurant and after taking out a deceased member of staff, they barricaded themselves inside.

The dark dining room smelt of rotten food that had just been abandoned on the tables. Angel pulled her t-shirt up and over her nose to try and mask the smell. She moved straight to the back of the restaurant and into the kitchen. Merle was preoccupied with the bar that was set to the side and was perusing the wines and beers.

As Angel had feared most of the kitchen had been raided. Things like fresh vegetables and fruit that had been left behind were now moldy and covered in maggots. A pantry door hung by one hinge, and Angel moved towards it, inspecting its meager contents. She grabbed the last remaining tins of peaches and an unopened box of breadsticks and made her way back out of the kitchen.

Merle had pulled up a stool and was perched at the bar sipping from a bottle of whiskey. Angel made her way over to him and dumped the food on the counter. "Shouldn't be drinking on an empty stomach. Or with them patches on ya. Or at all considerin' how alert we gotta be." Angel scolded while unwrapping the breadsticks and taking a bite.

"So whatcha sayin' is we can't be havin' no fun." Merle stated, a smug grin on his face as he took another swig from the bottle. Angel couldn't help but roll her eyes at her brother. She pulled another breadstick out of its cellophane and slid it across the bar top. "At least eat that would ya?"

Merle gave a comical salute and proceeded to eat the breadstick in three bites. Angel started to pack the tins of peaches into her backpack as well as a couple of packets of nuts that were stored behind the bar. "We best go." The young woman said, putting the backpack back on and collecting her crowbar.

"Only just got here. Can't we just enjoy a drink?" Merle groaned. He looked up at his sister, her arms crossed over her chest. "Ok, so what's ya plan? We take a car, go back to camp and pretend nothin' happened? That those people didn't just leave me up there to rot? That our own brother ain't even bothered enough to come look for us?" His voice was starting to raise in anger. Angel stared uncomfortably down at the ground. As much as she hated to admit it, Merle had a point. She had been so sure at least Daryl would come.

The eldest Dixon took one last gulp of whiskey, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Wanna know what I think. I say we find a car, go back to the house, get some more of our stuff and then if yer hearts still set on it, we go back to that quarry and see if anyone's even noticed we're gone. How's that sound?" Angel felt so defeated that her plan hadn't worked out that all she could muster was a nod of her head.

Merle gave her a small smile, snatching up the hunting knife off of the counter. "Let's go find us a car then."

By sheer luck their search for a car didn't take them long. An old white van had been parked just on the outskirts of the city, and even better was the keys were still in the ignition. Merle had taken up position in the drivers seat, which he assured his sister he would be able to drive with just the one hand. Angel had tossed her bag into the footwell and climbed into the passenger side.

The journey home was traveled in silence. Angels thoughts flitted between Daryl and their old man. Pulling up into their driveway their house looked no different than the last time they had visited, though now the front was overgrown with weeds. Merle parked up in the driveway and they both exited the van.

The front door was unlocked, and upon entering the house the smell of death and mold hit their senses immediately. Slumped in his armchair was their father, surrounded by empty beer bottles. There we flies hovering over him, some darting in and out of his open mouth. His skin was almost grey, apart from a spot on his temple that was a dark red. Merle ventured further into their living room and looked their old man over. "Took the easy way out, the son a bitch." Merle said, prying a handgun from their fathers rigid fingers.

Angel looked away from the corpse, not because she felt sad for having lost her father, but because the body was truly disgusting. She made her way into the kitchen but she was not surprised to find that on further inspection there was no food at all in the cupboards. If Angel didn't go out and buy groceries then neither of them would eat. She turned back to her brother and watched as he pulled out an old trunk from under the sofa. From inside he gathered a few rounds of ammo and bought them over to the small table in the kitchen.

"Not really worth comin' back." Angel muttered, looking over the house. It didn't look like anyone had come through and raided it, but then again it was hard to tell. When left to his own devices, Will Dixon only cared about the booze. Tasks such as cleaning or shopping were not on a list of his priorities. There were empty take away cartons strewn all over the floor, cigarette butts discarded on every surface. "Smells worse than Show 'N Tails in here." She commented.

Merle looked up at his sister, a serious look on his face. "We still need ta have a talk 'bout that." "I really don't think that matters anymore seein' as the worlds gone to shit." Angel responded in disbelief at her brother. His gaze never wavered from her eyes, letting her know that it mattered to him. "Imma get one of Daryl's backpacks. Fill it with this ammo and anythin' else useful around here. Why dontcha get some more clothes. I figure it'll be gettin' dark pretty soon. We'll hunker down here tonight and set out fresh in the mornin'."

"Fine. I'm pretty beat anyway." Angel responded, moving towards the stairs. "I'm gonna secure everythin' down here. Then I'll come up." Merle explained to his retreating sisters figure.

Angel went straight to her bedroom. Both mattresses still resided on the floor but she'd only needed the one duvet for herself. The other one was bunched up in the corner, just incase one of her brothers came to visit. She dumped her bag down on the unused mattress and made her way down the hall to the bathroom.

For the first time in a month she looked at herself in the mirror and was shocked at her reflection. Her brown hair looked brittle and unkept, her face was slimmer and her cheekbones more pronounced. And all over her face was dried on dirt and blood. Under the mirror was the sink, and she tried the hot water faucet. A small trickle came out, but certainly not warm. Angel cupped her hands underneath the faucet and once she had a small pool of water, she set to scrubbing her face.

Checking her reflection again she felt satisfied she had got most of the grime off. Turning the water off she looked down at her clothes. Her black shirt didn't show any signs of dirt but her denim shorts and bare legs were filthy. There didn't seem to be enough water to take a shower so Angel settled on a quick scrub down later on. In the meantime she would change her clothes.

Back in the bedroom she discarded her dirty clothing and rummaged through a pile of clothes that she had heaped on the floor. She settled on some jeans and a strappy black top. To sleep in she took one of Daryl's old sleeveless shirts. She hated being so sentimental, but she needed her brother there with her, and his smell was the closest she could get. Angel wrapped the shirt around herself and breathed him in, before heading back downstairs.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs Angel noticed one of the kitchen floorboards had been removed. She hadn't noticed that when they had arrived. She walked over to it and peered into a small hole. What struck Angel as strange was that the hole had been lined with plastic bags, though there was nothing else inside. Before she could ponder any longer about it, her senses were hit with a strong sweet smell. Just ahead of her, Angel saw her brother sat on top of the kitchen counter smoking a joint. By his side were several small ziplock bags.

She felt the anger creep over here like hot water. Her entire body tensed up and she stalked over to stand in front of Merle. "This was ya plan all along?! Come back home so ya could get yer drugs?!" She grabbed one of the transparent bags, filled with white tablets. Angel shook it in front of his face in rage. "We abandoned our brother so ya could get high?!"

Merle grabbed hold of her wrist, the joint positioned between two of his fingers. He firmly squeezed her. "I think yer forgettin' he abandoned us! We're safe ain't we? Roof over our heads and beds ta sleep in. So how 'bout ya lay off yer brother here?" He raised an eyebrow in question. Merle released his hold on her and offered the joint to Angel.

She gently massaged her wrist while glaring at her brother. "I don't do that shit. One of us is goin' ta have ta stay alert." Merle chuckled and took a deep drag, holding down the intake before eventually exhaling. "Yer just like Daryl ya know? So self righteous."

Angel threw the tablets back onto the counter. "We didn't wanna end up like our old man." She spat, turning on her heels and storming back up the stairs before Merle could say anything else. She slammed the bedroom door behind her and threw herself down onto the mattress, pulling the collar of Daryl's shirt up to her nose and wishing he was there to help her.


	12. Just The Two Of Us

Her dreams were plagued with horrible images. Some were of her dead fathers corpse crawling up the stairs, coming to pin her down and attack. Others were about the group they were separated from. Mostly Daryl being attacked and unable to get to them. One was of the little girl, Sophia. She hadn't mentioned to anyone before but she feared for that little girl. Sophia was shy and timid and not made for this world. Maybe more than Angels fear for Sophia surviving, was her fear over the little girls father.

Ed seemed so similar to her old man it was scary. What Angel found worse was that the little girl didn't have older siblings to help her out like Angel had had with Merle and Daryl. Her brothers were able to deflect their fathers anger away from Angel and onto themselves, and because of this, Angel had managed to avoid any beatings until the age of 13. But Sophia was alone, she wasn't plucky or strong like Angel had learnt to be. Carol was just as scared of Ed as Sophia was, which was another reason to worry about the little girl. Will Dixon had turned from punches to raping his daughter as soon as her brothers were away. If Ed went in the same direction, and Angel prayed he wouldn't, she couldn't imagine Sophia lasting long. This world and her father would just simply break her.

Angel gradually came around from her sleep, the sunlight streaming in through the bedroom window. She rolled over but was startled to see that Merle wasn't on the other mattress. Angel clambered from her mattress and yanked open the bedroom door. She was about to race downstairs to see if Merle was passed out with his drugs, but stopped short when she noticed her eldest brother curled up on the landing, handgun by his side.

She couldn't help but let a small smile creep over her face seeing her brother positioned so he could have a good view if anyone or anything broke into their house. Angel quietly walked up to his sleeping form and gave his back a nudge with her foot. Merle jumped awake, immediately grabbing the gun and looking all around him before settling his bleary eyes on his sister.

"Ya make it hard to hate you, ya know that?" Angel chuckled. Merle stretched and sat up, giving his sister a smile. "Yer still a jerk though." She added as she sidled around her brother and into the bathroom.

Once Angel had finished washing her legs and giving her face another once over she exited the bathroom. She could hear her brother moving around in the kitchen and she peered over the banister to see him loading up a backpack. Angel went back to the bedroom and stuffed a few items of clothing into her own bag. She shrugged off Daryl's shirt and put that in as well. Lastly she put on a fresh pair of cable knit socks and pulled her military boots back on.

Downstairs she met her brother at the kitchen table. His backpack was now full and zipped up ready to go. Merle lastly put the handgun in the waistband of his pants. "We should eat before we go. And I wan'ta change your bandage." Angel commented, placing her backpack beside her brothers and fishing down to the bottom for a couple packs of nuts and a roll of crepe bandage.

Merle ate his packet of nuts while Angel tended to his arm. Once she had finished binding and sealing it she removed both of the Fentanyl patches and replaced them with two fresh ones. When she had finished she gave her brothers shoulder a pat to signify she was done. They both took their backpacks and Angel grabbed her pack of peanuts to eat during the ride.

The drive to the quarry took longer than expected. Merle had decided to avoid going back through the city and instead go around it. But the two Dixons were met with several road blocks which meant they had to find an alternate route. It was almost dark by the time the pair arrived at the camp site.

They weren't prepared for the sight they were met with. All the cars and vans were gone, even the RV. The rocks Merle had built up to house the campfire were still there, but there was no sign of any tents or people. Off to one side of the campsite was a scorched piece of land with charred remains, but the siblings were too far away to see exactly what it was that had been burnt there.

Angel stepped out of the van and stood in shock, her mouth hanging open. Merle was already out of the vehicle and moving towards the pile of charcoal. He kicked at a lump of something and examined the blackened heap. "Bodies." He gave as a one word explanation. This made his sister snap out of her daze and look towards him. "Do ya think they...Daryl...got bit..." She trailed off, her brain a muddle of confusion.

"Maybe some of 'em. Most seem to have got away." Merle pointed with his remaining hand at the dirt road that led away from the quarry. "Most vehicles are gone and them tracks prove they left recently. Including Daryl. He's the only one 'part from me who knows how ta drive that hunk of junk truck o' mine." Angel now looked down at the multiple track marks imprinted in the dirt. "I hope yer right." She quietly mumbled, crossing her arms around her fragile frame.

Merle exhaled a chuckle, but there was no real humor to it. "Our own brother ditched us." He said, anger rising up in his voice. "Our flesh and blood left us ta rot!" He now shouted, kicking a charred piece of bone that had strayed from the charcoal pile. Angel squeezed herself tighter, wishing she could say something that would prove her eldest brother wrong, but she was coming to a horrible realization that Merle might be right.

"D'ya think we could follow their trail? Maybe we can find 'em." The young woman asked hopefully, still looking at the line of tire tracks. "What's the point, they clearly don't care 'bout us!" Merle shouted in reply. He span around to face his sister and immediately regretted his rage. She looked so small and helpless, almost like she was trying to hold herself together. The look on her face was one of disappointment, but he could see she was clinging to whatever small slither of hope she had. As much as Merle felt angry and frustrated he refused to let let his sister lose her hope.

He crossed the distance between them and pulled his sister into a tight embrace with his one hand, resting his head on top of hers. "Once those tracks hit the asphalt we won't be able ta track 'em far. But we can give it a damn good try, how's that sound?" He soothingly asked her, and felt her head nod against his chest. "Too dark to go out now though. Let's stay here, sleep in the van, and head out at first light." He added, rubbing her back gently in small circles.

Angel felt the tension that had been building up slowly begin to fade away while pressed against her brother. He may be the irrational one out of the Dixon siblings, but he still knew how to make her feel calm and safe. She slowly eased out of his arm and looked up into his blue eyes, giving him a smile of thanks. Merle clenched his fingers into a fist and gave Angels cheek a gentle push, which made the pair break into smiles and share a chuckle.

They walked side by side around to the back of the van. Angel took hold of the thick piece of material that was hanging from the vans back door and pulled upwards, the shuttered door squeaking as it rolled up. Merle hopped into the back on the van first, then extended his hand out and helped Angel in as well.

They retrieved their backpacks from the seats of the cab. Angel rooted through hers and pulled out the last two bags of peanuts, handing one to her brother and opening the other for herself. They ate in silence, a cool evening breeze drifting in the open door.

Merle laid down, propping his rucksack behind him as a pillow. He poured the last remains of the peanuts into his mouth and discarded the empty bag beside him. "Where d'ya think they went?" Angel asked, breaking the silence. Merle let out a sigh and reached into his pocket for this pack of cigarettes. "That cop was talkin' 'bout Fort Benning. My guess is they went there. Them people followed him like sheep."

Angel slumped backwards and blew the hair from her eyes. It was a long way from Atlanta to Columbus. They were going to be travelling for a long time, and even then it wasn't a guarantee that they'd find their brother there. Merle took a drag from his cigarette and offered it to his sister, who took it eagerly. "We won't take the main roads, they're probably backed up with traffic and biters. If we take back roads I bet we have a better chance o' avoiding trouble. Stop off in some of the towns and see if there's any food left behind."

Angel listened to him and nodded, but in reality she didn't have a clue how to get to Fort Benning. She never ventured far from home or outside of Atlanta. She was putting all her faith in her eldest brother, wherever he said she would follow. Angel took a final drag from the cigarette and handed it back to her brother to finish off.

"Don't ya worry Cub. We'll survive." Merle added, studying her face. He stubbed the cigarette out on the metal floor and flicked it out the back of the van, into the dark. Angel forced a smile at him me and reached again for her backpack. She pulled out Daryl's crumpled shirt and placed it down behind her. Resting on her side, facing her brother, she rested her head on the shirt and took comfort in that once again familiar smell.

Her eyes became heavy and soon she was drifting off into a light sleep. Merle continued to watch her, her chest rising and falling in a gentle rhythm. He reached out his hand and tucked a stray strand of his sisters brown hair behind her ear. As quietly as he could, he rose from the bed of the van and went to the back. He looked out at the darkness of the quarry, checking there was no movement out there. Satisfied, he pulled the thick tail of fabric which bought the metal shuttered door back down, casting them both into complete darkness.


	13. First Encounters

**So I apologise for how long it took me to get this chapter and the previous uploaded. I wasn't entirely sure where I wanted this to go, but once I started writing again it's like knew where I wanted this to lead.**

 **Oncd again thank you all for the follows, favourites and reviews they mean a lot to me and keep me motivated to keep this story progressing. You guys are amazing. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

The two Dixon's had left the quarry site over a month ago. Since then they had passed through several small towns, most of them deserted. Each time they entered one of these towns they would immediately scavenge any remaining food, water and cigarettes. Most stores had been overturned so they had taken to breaking into empty homes and raiding them instead.

Usually they were able to enter the homes with minimal problems. Maybe a couple of walkers would be aimlessly knocking around and they would silently take them out with their hunting knife and crowbar. If a home wasn't too badly damaged they would set up for the night and sleep there, each taking turn to watch over the other one.

The temperature was starting to drop and the siblings had left behind their summer clothes and found warmer garments from different homes they had raided.

Their next stop was a town called 'Greenville'. From the look of it it was larger than most of the places they had been through, which meant more stores and homes for them to scrounge through. They stopped outside a strip of shops. Merle ventured into a gas station while Angel went into an untouched clothing store. She gathered jeans and sweaters for both herself and her brother, as well as new socks and underwear to hopefully see them through the colder weather.

Angel loaded the clothing into the back of the van, she could hear Merle rummaging around the gas station and she decided to take this solitary time to have a smoke. Reaching into her jean shorts pockets she was about to remove her cigarette pack when she abruptly stopped at the noise of a gun being cocked behind her. She instinctively raised her arms above her head, continuing to face forward.

"That'a girl. Nice and calm now." A male voice came from behind her. She dared not turn to look at him or see if she could spot Merle, but she noticed the noise he had been making had stopped. Another man came around the front of her, holding a knife in his right hand. His black hair was greasy and he had a threatening smile on his face as he looked Angel up and down.

"We hit the jackpot here Joel." The greasy man addressed the guy behind her. Angel chewed on her lip and tried to keep her breathing under control. She heard gravel crackle behind her and then the steel of the gun press between her should blades. This was the first encounter with people in over a month, and due to this Angel had become lax and was now cursing herself for leaving her crowbar in the van.

A hot breathe tickled her ear and she fought back the urge to move away. "You're goin' to like us hunny." The man, Joel, whispered to her. The pressure of the metal on her back relaxed and Joel slowly snaked his hand with the gun around her waist, and his other hand around her neck, his thumb gently stroking her cheek. Shivers of disgust ran up and down Angels spine and she squeezed her eyes shut.

A loud, quick noise rang out through the empty streets and the hands abruptly disentangled from her body. Another shot rang out and Angel acted on instinct and dropped down to the ground, covering her head. She noticed a small trickle of blood by her side and turned her head to see that the man from behind her was now collapsed on the gravel, most of his cheek missing from a bullet hole.

"Go ahead man. Fuck with my sister again. I dare ya!" Merles voice rang out from behind Angel, full of anger and rage. She drew her eyes away from the dead man and looked at her brother, feeling so thankful he was alright. His left arm was extended in front of him, and aiming his handgun at the other man. Angel didn't even bother to look at the greasy man, and shakily got to her feet, brushing gravel off of her legs and started to make her way over to Merle.

As she took a second step towards her brother she felt a sharp, piercing pain in her ankle. It was so intense and hot that she buckled and fell back to the ground. Her hands reached out for her right foot and her fingers were met with a cold foreign object sticking out of her skin. Looking down she saw the shiny metal of a knife imbedded deep into her ankle, and on the black handle were the fingers of the greasy man.

It was like everything began to move in slow motion. The man was clutching his bloodied shoulder where Merle had managed to shoot him. The grin on his face was still there, looking more sinister than before. His hazel eyes were wide and he wouldn't break his gaze away from Angels face. With what looked like a great effort the mans grip on the knife tightened and he twisted it around, causing the pain in Angels ankle to run all the way up her leg.

Angel couldn't help but howl in pain, her fingers clutching the blade of the knife, trying to prize it out of her skin or at least relieve some of the pain. She didn't notice the pain or blood that was now pouring from her hand.

Another loud blast of noise and the twisting of the knife stopped. Angel looked through the tears of pain at the slumped figure of the man, his hand now disengaged from the knife and lay limp on Angels shoe. She was so blinded by the pain that she did nothing but sat in shock, still gripping the knife between her fingers.

Merle moved quickly and slid in front of his sister, kicking the dead man out of his way. His eyes ran over her ankle, taking in the blood that pooled around her foot. He drew his gaze away from her ankle and looked at her face. Her eyes were distant and vague, staring off at nothing, not even noticing his was there. "Cub, ya gotta pull ya self together and let go of the knife. Imma have to pull it out. Ya need ta brace yerself." He rambled, reaching out and touching her cheek. Her skin was pale and her face was clammy.

He moved his hand back down to the knife and prized her bloodied fingers off of the exposed blade. When her hand was clear of the knife he grasped the handle and without warning to his sister he pulled it free from her body. Another scream escaped her lips, and the pain jolted her from her spaced out thoughts. Her hands were on the wound immediately, pushing down as much pressure as she could muster.

"Son of a bitch!" She screamed, and with her unharmed leg she kicked out, connecting the sole of her shoe with her dead attackers face. Merle quietly made shushing noises to her. "Girl ya want all the biters to come and finish yer leg off?!" He scolded her for the noise. His knees popped as he rose up and made for the vans cab, retrieving Angels backpack and throwing it to the ground beside her. He quickly rummaged to the bottom of the bag for the few remaining crepe bandages. Merles arm has healed up nicely over the past month and they hadn't needed to dress it any longer.

He took out a roll and had Angel hold the end of the bandage in place while he wrapped it around her wound. It was soaked through with blood instantly and was starting to seep out and down her leg again. "It's too fuckin' deep." Merle cursed, grabbing the last remaining bandage and just pressing the whole roll down on her ankle.

The world started to seem hazy to Angel. Merles movements seemed to leave trails behind him and his words sounded far away. She couldn't tell if it was from loss of blood, lack of food and water, of sheer exhaustion or all three combined, but Angel knew she was about to pass out. She tried to say this to Merle, but she didn't think what came out were even words, more like nonsensical grunts.

From behind her came a voice. She couldn't make out what was said, it sounded like the person was underwater, but her brother immediately released the pressure he had been applying to her ankle and was now holding his gun. He shouted something back to the far off voice but Angel couldn't understand the words. She tried to turn her head but the world swam around her. Before her head hit the gravel of the ground she could head a mixture of voices, and several hands grabbing hold of her. Was she being lifted or was she just feeling like she was floating?

Then the world went black.


	14. Dreams Are Safe

She was falling. There was no ground beneath or above her, everything was just white. No other color, just a pure brilliant white. Her whole body was limp. She tried to move her arms, turn her head, wiggle her toes but nothing seemed to be working. All she could do was fall.

In the distance she could hear voices. Not words, just voices. One of them she could make out was Merle. His voice was gravely and hard, echoing around her in this vast empty space. She tried to call out his name but her lips were incapable of forming words.

Suddenly she realised she wasn't falling at all. She was gliding. Her angel wing tattoo was no longer ink on her skin but actual feathered wings extending out of her back and expanded out behind her. If only her arms would work she would of reached out and felt the silky softness of the cream feathers.

Merles voice was becoming clearer. She could hear the desperation but the only word she could make out was her name. With great effort she managed to get her lips to work. "Mer-" Was all she could manage before a searing pain in her leg cut her short.

She wanted to reach down for her ankle. She wanted to scream out in pain. She wanted her brothers to be beside her.

The whiteness was fading into a cloudy grey. Angel realised her wings were no longer helping her glide, but were now back to the normal drawings on her skin. She was falling. The voices were getting louder and the colors were getting darker. Until finally it was black again.

Blinking hurt. Angel tried again and managed to open her eyes a little more. Light swam into her vision and as she continued to blink the world became clearer. There was a white tiled ceiling above her with bright strip lights. It took her brain a moment to realise that they were electric lights, and they were on.

Her mind was still muddled and confused. The pain in her ankle was still very much present, but now her arm and head hurt too. She licked her chapped, dried lips and tried to call out, but all she managed was a pained moan.

Merles head came into her vision. His forehead was creased with worry, and his eyes darted over her face. She felt his rough hand caressing her cheek. "My god Cub ya scared the shit outta me." Her brothers deep voice cracked slightly with emotion. Angel tried to raise her hand up to him but the stabbing pain stopped her.

"...am I?" Was all she could manage to say. Her throat felt sore, like she had swallowed a bunch of gravel. She tried swallowing to ease the scratchiness but it hurt just as bad as talking. Thankfully Merle understood what she was trying to say. "Some guys heard yer shoutin' when ya got stabbed. They came and helped us. Bought us to a place called Woodbury. They got a doctor here who stitched yer ankle up good."

Angel rolled her head to the side, managing to glance down the bed she was laying in. She could see why here arm was stinging, a thin tube ran from a hanging bag of clear liquid into her arm. She cleared her threat to try and talk again. "...safe?" She asked her brother.

Merle stopped stroking her cheek and reached for her hand, grasping it tightly. "Yeah, it's safe. They got walls to keep the biters out. Guards on duty day and night. Food and running water and electricity. The guy in charge here, calls himself the Governor. He's made sure we've had everythin' we need." He smiled down at her, and for the first time in a long time Angel noticed that he looked relaxed. "This is one hell o' a place." He finished, giving her hand a squeeze.

Angel let herself fully relax back into the pillow, using what little strength she did have to hold onto her brothers hand. She needed to feel him close to her. In almost a whisper she managed to ask for some water. Merle gradually removed his hand from hers and helped to move her up the bed, propping her against the headboard. He gently guided a plastic tumbler of water to her parched lips and tilted it up so she could take small sips.

The cool water soothed her dry throat and when she had had her fill she turned her head away slightly from the cup. Merle placed the tumbler back on a side table and immediately took hold of her hand again. "How're ya feelin'?" He finally asked. Angel turned her head back to face her brother, but her eyelids felt too heavy to keep open.

"Like I've been hit by a truck." She croaked out. "Ya should see how ya look." Merle commented, and the couple shared a chuckle. Their moment was broken by someone entering the room. "How're we doing?" A pleasant masculine voice enquired. It took a lot of effort for Angel to open her eyes and look at this newcomer.

The man was well dressed, and clean, that's what struck Angel the most. His short hair was well kept and his glasses looked brand new. The only sign that he was a doctor was the stethoscope hanging around his neck. He smiled at her, a genuine warm smile. "Good to see you're awake. You were out of it for a couple of days." His smooth voice filled the room.

Merle watched the doctor closely as he checked over Angels ankle. The man also took her temperature, inspected her eyes and throat and finally took her blood pressure, all done in silence. After a month of just having her brother for company, Angel was wary of this new person, but she just didn't have the strength to ward him off. She was putting all her trust in her brothers judgment of this place and these people.

Having finished his examination of her, the doctor gave her another smile and looked from brother to sister. "You're doing good. Ankles healing up nicely. That knife didn't hit any muscle or arteries so it's just a matter of time before you can use it again properly. When you came in you were pretty dehydrated, so as long as you eat and drink you'll have your strength back in no time." He cheerily addressed Angel.

The doctor was backing up to the door, but stopped short and turned back to the brother and sister. "I'll let the Governor know you're awake. He can sort out a room for you both." He added, before leaving, closing the door behind him.

Angel let her eyes fall shut again, exhaustion taking over her whole body. As usual Merle was filling the silence with his rambling thoughts. "Ya hear that? A room for us! Hell, if they're willing to let us stay we'd be dumber than a bag o' hammers to say no. For once we're safe. I was worried what we were gonna do out on the road what with winter coming in."

Her brothers voice continued to fill the room but Angel allowed herself to succumb to the sleep that was pulling her under. Her final thoughts weren't about Merle, or being safe, or even her throbbing ankle. Her brain only repeated the same name over and over again: "Daryl."


	15. A Home

"If I trip over yer damn boots one more time Merle Dixon, imma hit ya so hard yer whole family will hurt!" Angel hollered from the front door of their home, kicking one of his muddied boots across the room.

She heard her brother chuckle from one of the single beds he was stretched out on. "Ya know that'd be hurtin' ya too right?" He propped himself up with his good arm to get a look at his little sister. Her brown hair was tied up in a messy ponytail, with a few curly strands having fallen free and framing her face. She was dressed in a long sleeved black button up shirt that fitted to her curves, some dirty denim jeans which she had tucked into her trusty military style boots.

"Glad ta see yer ankles all better." He noted, gesturing at his boot she had kicked. Angel blew one of the strands of hair out of her eyes so she could glare at her brother. "It's been a long ass day and now I gotta tidy up after ya." She commented, closing the front door behind her, and slapping one of Merles sock clad feet as she walked past him to her own bed.

The pair called this large bedroom with ensuite their home. Just two single beds, a dresser and a bathroom. Any meals they wanted meant going down a floor to a kitchen and dining area they shared with three other occupants of the building. It was more like living in a college dorm than a real home, but neither one of the Dixon's complained about their set up. They had hot water, electricity and food whenever they needed it. Plus the security of the walls around Woodbury.

Merle swung his legs over the side of his bed so he was facing his sister. "Busy day at the docs?" He asked her. Angel gave a grunt of agreement and dropped down onto her own bed, letting out a deep sigh. Since her recovery she had been given a job working at the small doctors surgery that was set up in the street of Woodbury.

Though she was not technically a doctor, the Governor and Doctor C had been impressed with her previous dispenser training, and she now a ran a small pharmacy as well as helping out as a nurse whenever it was required. The work over the winter had been gruelling, with an abundance of infections and colds that needed to be treated and a lack of available medication. Each night she had to make a list of drugs that were required and hand it to Merle, who would arrange a group to make a run into close by towns to raid pharmacies.

Merle had taken to his new job immediately. One of the guards and general muscle for the Governor. He could usually be found at night on top of the gates, patrolling for any biters or threats. If he wasn't doing night shifts he was often out of Woodbury with a group of others, scouting for supplies and any survivors. On those occasions he usually wasn't gone for more than a day, and Angel always prayed that when he returned he would have Daryl in tow. So far, no such luck. She was finding it harder and harder to hold on to the hope that her other brother was still alive, especially after the harsh winter that had passed.

"The Governor wants to see ya as soon as." Angel mumbled.

Merle gave her a quizzical look, though she couldn't see it as she'd thrown one of her arms over her face. "He came in to ya again?" He firmly asked her. As appreciative as Merle was to the Governor for having taken the pair of them in, he was concerned for how much attention he was giving Angel. She would often tell Merle that he would drop by the doctors for no other reason than to have a chat. It just didn't sit right with him. But there was simply nothing he could do about it, he owed the man for saving his little sister and allowing them the luxuries they had.

Though the girl had never said anything to Merle about it, she was also tired of the attention the Governor gave her. At first she thought nothing of it, that he was simply interested in new people. As time wore on that idea quickly changed. More people were coming into Woodbury weekly and still he never paid them as much notice as he did with her.

"Yeah he did. Said something about changing yer shift tonight. If ya ain't gonna clean up this place I suggest ya get to gettin'." Angel snapped, wanting her brother gone so she could try and release the tension in her shoulders and soothe her aching feet. She heard the creak of the bed as her brother stood up and his footsteps as he moved around the room.

The front door clicked open. "I'll be back soon Cub." Though he knew he didn't need to say this every time he left, he felt calmer thinking that Angel would be reassured knowing he was always going to come back to her. Especially now that they were a duo rather than a trio. His sister raised her arm from her face and gave a lethargic wave for him to leave. He gently pulled the door shut behind himself.

Angel knew she should get up and clean up the mess of their bedroom and bathroom, but her body was aching too much. Her ankle, though completely healed, still throbbed when she had been on her feet for too long. A small nap sounded perfect right about now, and then she could crack on with the mundane house chores.

The sound of the front door being slammed shut broke Angel from her peaceful sleep. Bleary eyed she forced herself upright to see she had overslept the hour she had put aside for the nap. Another thump directed her attention over to her brother, grumpily kicking off his, still muddy, boots. His forehead was creased in a frown and he pulled his shirt off, balled it up and threw it at the foot of his bed.

"What's biting your ass?" She asked him as he dropped onto his bed. He let out a deep growl in annoyance. "Governors changed my shift. Instead of the graveyard watch I gotta go out into the sticks with him tomorrow." Angel studied her brother, not fully understanding how a change in rota would make him so frustrated. "There's somehin' else though, ain't there?" She questioned.

Merle fiddled with the leather straps on his new metal arm attachment. It had been made at his request by one of the towns people who used to do a fair bit of metal work before the apocalypse happened. It made combat a whole lot easier, even without the knife that he could attach. However, when it came to relaxing at home he couldn't stand having it constricting his arm. He undid the buckles and popped it off, dropping it beside himself on the bed. "Governor wants you to drop by his. Tonight. For dinner." Merle practically spat out in distaste.

He rubbed his calloused hand over his face, trying to relax the frown lines on his forehead. "I don't like it Cub. I don't like it one bit."

The youngest Dixon could see how vexed her brother was getting over this. She felt the exact same way, but she couldn't voice her concerns to Merle, he was worried enough. A brace face and false bravado was the only solution to appease him. One of them had to be strong, and it usually fell on Merles shoulders, but Angel could see she was going to have to suck this one up.

She tried out a relaxed smile that felt all fake on face. "It'll be fine." She reached out and squeezed her brothers knee, drawing his attention to her. "I've dealt with worse men than the Governor." She calmly stated. Deep down, she wasn't so sure, but it seemed to relax her brothers frown. "I'm sure it's just a chat. It'll be fine." She repeated, trying to convince herself as much as Merle.

"If we didn't owe him for all this then I'd say to hell with him." Merle reluctantly gave in. His sister nodded, the majority of her brown hair having escaped the hair tie while she had been sleeping.

The Spring night air was crisp as Angel walked back home from the Governors apartment. In her head she ran through the conversation they had shared over dinner.

Initially she had tried to be defensive towards any advances he may have had, but he didn't do anything strange at all. They ate their dinner at his modest dining table and talked over a glass of scotch. Angel was never any good at small talk but the Governor had taken care of that. He filled her in on his life before the dead started walking, how he and a small group had found Woodbury and fortified it. Mostly he spoke of his deceased wife, who he said Angel resembled in a lot of ways.

Maybe that was the reason he was always hanging around her. He missed his wife and saw something in herself that comforted him.

Not once did he try anything on with her. He was polite and charming, and when Angel had finished her drink and insisted on leaving he didn't ask her to stay. He simply rose from his seat and held the door open for her, wishing her a good night and thanking her for a wonderful evening.

Perhaps he wasn't so creepy after all. With the constant references to his late wife, maybe he was just lonely and wanted her to keep him company. That wasn't such a hard task considering how pleasant his spacious apartment was and how good the scotch had tasted.

Quietly, Angel entered their shared house and walked up to the Dixon's front door. She tried to keep noise to a minimum in case Merle was already asleep, but as she entered she saw him sat on the edge of his bed, tensely awaiting her return. "What did he do?" He growled out, like he expected Angel to have come home beaten or something far worse.

She smiled a genuine, easy smile and raised her arms out to her side to show her brother she was still in one piece. "He didn't do anythin'. We just talked. It was fine Merle, just like I said it'd be."

No more was said that night. Merle had obviously worried himself so much he was exhausted, and once he knew Angel was in her bed and settled down, he instantly let his body relax into a deep sleep. Angel heard his breathing become deep and steady. Knowing he was asleep she played through the evening one more time, and couldn't help but smile at how much she had actually enjoyed herself.


End file.
